Elsword: The Ultimate Warrior,The Greatest Defender
by Perfecttomato64
Summary: Two stories intertwine to decide the fate of the Ultimate Warrior or the Greatest Defender. It all starts with the destined encounter with the one and only Prince Seiker. Two POVs so that you'll know so what they are thinking about each other. As the story progresses, more POVs might be added. Has some language and violence. And brownies. \( )/
1. Fateful Beginnings

**Hi guys so I have a serious conversation here right now. **

**I don't know if this will stay up.**

**Yes, the only thing that might be taken down for good. I've started playing Elsword a few months ago and I became addicted to it. Now I'm a level 43 Lord Knight by the name of ShadowPerson. Talk to me, friend me, stalk me, whatever. :P However, I digress. I haven't reached the ending. Actually, I don't think I'm even near the ending. So that means this will be a very, very, very tentative story and it will be slow to update. If you guys want more of this then I'll try to storm through the story as fast as I can, ignoring the little side quests until the end. But this is all before Hamel is taken over by the demons so yeah. :I**

**However, enough of this sappy talk, let's hear some exciting stuff. :) I figured out job classes. I don't know if that's good but whatever. :P You can see that in the title right? However, the job classes will be revealed later in the story (if I update fast enough o_o). You'll find out when I give you their profile. Maybe I'll put up the third job class I figured out, I don't know. Now that you've read and understand, shall you read? :D**

**DISCLAIMER: No. I wish I did but no. **

**Start Chapter**

* * *

Chapter 1: Fateful Beginnings

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

You are walking down the dark streets of Hamel with your head hung low so that no one could see your face. You felt the darkness threatening to attack you the moment you let your guard down. Your muscles shook from both the cold and from fear. You were only eight years old. You didn't blame yourself. You walked on to the direction of the main gate to go to your new foster home which was along the outskirts of Hamel. Feita or Velder if you remembered correctly. Lamps lit the pavement you were walking on but the darkness outside creeped around as like a predator stalking its prey. Fear tremored through out your whole body.

You felt the urge to start running but that would mean that fear would win the battle. You didn't want that. You were that stubborn. Even though it was a cold night, perspiration made a thin layer on your forehead. You were sleepy and tired. You wanted to go to sleep but you had to make it out of the city. It was their direct order and you needed to follow it to the dot. You wondered why they wanted you out of the city. This is your home after all.

**-223-ChungPOV-223-**

You were making your horse, White Lightning, push itself to the limit chasing after the kidnapped princess. How could you have let the kidnapper escape? However, punishment would have to come later. Right now you needed to catch up with the kidnapper. The princess is in danger and part of your job was to protect the royal family. You rode through the cold, empty streets of your beloved city Hamel. White Lightning thundered on following your every order to go faster. You felt bad for making your horse push itself but he also knew that it was his job to serve his master. No matter what.

Ahead of you, you see the horse drawn cart speeding towards the exit of the city. The cart held the kidnapper snapping the reins at the front and a figure laying in a motionless heap at the back. The princess. You urge your horse to go faster as you and the kidnapper neared the gate. The watchers up at the wall were closing the gates but it wasn't fast enough. The cart ran past a hooded pedestrian who dodged out of the way and the cart sped out of the gates. The giant doors closed on you. "Damn it." you muttered.

You heard and felt White Lightning breathing heavily and you patted his neck saying, "You did good. Good job."

You turned him around and trotted back to the castle. Back to father. A shiver of disappointment and anger ran down your spine but you will take the punishment. A lamp ahead of you goes out. A noise, a small but terrified gasp spooked White Lightning. He threw you off and started kicking everywhere. You hit the ground and stayed there for quite a while.

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

You heard the cart before it even got to you. You swiftly turned around to meet it and dodged successfully out of the way. The cart ran past you along with a mysterious rider heading towards the gates. You start to wonder what was going on until you saw the body in the back of the cart. And the rider after the cart must have been Prince Seiker, you thought. Oh how he is being so horribly deceived. You stood there sadly watching the cart race out the gates and Prince Seiker stopping in front of the gates. Suddenly the safety of the lights went out. At first you were completely terrified of staying in the dark.

You heard a horse coming towards you and you gasped fearfully. You hoped that the horse belonged to Prince Seiker. You heard the horse neigh in fear by the sound of your voice and threw it's rider off. He/she fell to the ground and lay there for a while. The horse bucked and kicked around in the darkness, trying to find the source of the noise. Deciding to take action, you walk to the horse's side and frisked for the reins. The horse kicked more by your touch. You find the reins and started stroking it's snout saying softly, "Calm down. It's alright. No need to panic. It's alright, it's alright. Shhh."

You notice that the horse calms down and stood there next to you in the dark. At first it was a bit awkward but the horse's presence comforted you that you weren't alone in the dark. You gripped the the reins tighter as you tried to find the rider. You could faintly see the silhouette of the rider laying on the ground in a motionless heap. You began to panic for you feared that the rider is dead.

You walk to him/her carefully and crouched down letting the reins go. The lamp was trying to light itself back on and after a few tries the lamp successfully came back on. The rider was Prince Seiker. He looked like he was sleeping but there was a terrifying similarity between sleep and death. You slap his cheeks for a moment and tentatively ask, "Prince Seiker?"

He muttered, "Five more minutes..."

He really is sleeping, you thought irritatingly. You felt like slapping him. And you did. You slapped him as hard as you could. It woke him up from his sleepy state yelling, "Huh?! Is the city in danger? Where's my Destroyer?"

"You idiot..." you muttered. (-_-")

"Hm? What are you doing out here at night? And why?"

You were silent because you weren't supposed to tell anyone about where you were you were going especially if the person was Prince Seiker. You worded your words carefully and eventually said, "Um, I'm going to my new foster home. I was recently adopted and it's located in the Feita or Velder region, I didn't listen carefully enough."

"Oh. Congrats."

"Thanks I guess."

"May I ask for a name?"

"Ina. Ina Solomon. It's my foster family's last name."

"Well you probably might know me but my actual name is Chung. You could call name Prince Seiker if you want to."

You nod your head and become silent. Chung was sitting and staring up at the sky. You stood saying, "Well I'm off. It's pretty late and they are expecting me by morning. Goodbye and good night."

"You're walking this late at night?"

"Yes..." you replied warily.

"Let me take you there."

"But what about your father? Won't he worry about you?"

"No, I don't think so. He trusts me."

Though Prince Seiker means no harm you were still wary of his offer. However, you thought about it more and found it handy. You didn't have to walk all the way to the house but will he really take you to the house? Taking the risk, you replied, "I'll take your offer. You better not disappoint me."

Chung smiled, "I'm sure I won't."

**-223-ChungPOV-223-**

The moment you fell off of White Lightning you felt like going to sleep. It was almost midnight and your body refused to move. You heard your horse panicking and someone soothing him. It sounded like a girl. Then you heard nothing because you fell into a light nap. Only for a few minutes, what could be the harm in that? It was a dreamless sleep that felt like it lasted for about a second. You then felt a hand lightly slapping your cheek and someone calling your name but you replied with, "Five more minutes..."

A sharp movement went across your face in a form of a slap executed with full strength. That time you woke up with a start and said, "Huh?! Is the city in danger? Where's my Destroyer?"

You looked at the stranger and found her pretty, beautiful almost. She has the same features as the princess, except they were a different color. Her hair was a lighter shade of black that looked almost brown which was short at the back and gradually became longer as it neared her face. The eye color was was even lighter than yours. She muttered something with an (-_-") expression and you asked, "Hm? What are you doing out here at so late at night? And why?"

She was silent. You thought the situation became awkward immediately but she eventually said her words carefully, "Um, I'm going to my new foster home. I was recently adopted and it's located in the Feita or Velder region, I didn't listen closely enough."

You congratulated her and asked for her name. She said Ina Solomon, her foster last name. You introduce yourself also and you become silent. Ina stood up and said, "Well I'm off. It's prety late and they are expecting me by morning. Goodbye and goodnight."

"You're walking this late at night?"

"Yes..."

"Let me take you there."

"But what about you're father? Won't he worry about you?"

"No. I don't think so. He trusts me."

You could tell she was wary of your offer but eventually relented, "I'll take your offer. You better not disappoint me."

You smiled sheepishly, "I'm sure I won't."

You grab White Lightning's reins and made sure that the saddle was secure. You let Ina get up first and then you came up afterwards, behind Ina. You thought about and said, "Should we switch places?"

Ina simply replied, "No. Let's just go."

"If you say so..."

You slipped your hands through Ina's sides and gripped the reins. You snapped the reins and White Lightning made his way towards the gates. Your face starts to get warm from thinking about what the guards will say when they saw you. However, and thankfully, you went unnoticed. The darkness of night had some good attributes to it. You rode at a good pace, passing through Velder and it's lights brighter than Hamel's. Ina was looking around the city in awe. It seemed she has never left the gates of Hamel throughout her whole life. You tried to make a conversation, "Have you ever seen the cities outside of Hamel?"

"No. I was never able to get out much. I was always holed up in Hamel. It wasn't fun."

"Is it Velder where you said your new home is?"

"We'll look for the Solomon household here I guess. It's the one that stands out the most because it's an old house built right after the scattering of the El shards. It held it's foundation since then."

"I see you know your history."

You feel her flinch, "Yeah... I do don't I?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

The subject was dispersed. You wondered why Ina didn't want to talk about it anymore. You rode around the city trying to find the old house hold. It took a while but there it was. A two story building with specks of mold dotting the building and old fashioned windows, a door, and a fenced front yard. It seemed quite charming even though it has been through many of Elrios' darkest times. You stop at the gate and jump off White Lightning. You tried to help Ina down but she came down just as easily as you did. You raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you came from a temporary home?"

You see Ina twitch again, "Yeah. I did it's just that I rode a horse when I was younger."

"Oh. Well I hope you like your new life here Miss Solomon. Farewell."

"Goodbye Chung. And thank you for the ride. I appreciate it."

You nodded your head and mounted back onto White Lightning. You slowly trotted off with a lot on your mind.

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

Chung let you mount up first for some reason but you didn't mind. This might be the last time you would ever see of Hamel and their guardians. You might as well make the best of it. Chung mounted up next and sat there for a moment. He asks, "Should we switch places?"

Without thinking you replied, "No. Let's just go."

"If you day so..."

You felt his hands slip around your sides to reach the reins and an excited shiver came up your spine. However, you banished your thoughts right away and looked around. The building and store windows were dark and the streets were empty except for them. At least no one would see them. You passed through the gates unnoticed and rode through to Velder. It was smaller than Hamel but not by a lot. You could see some people walking back home and you pulled your hood down further. You did not want rumors spreading about Chung riding around with a mysterious girl.

However, you did get a good look at the buildings and shops and honestly they were more lively than the one at Hamel. Some were still open and you saw workers inside still doing their jobs. It surprised you now badly money was needed around these parts. You've never thought about getting a job before because you didn't have to worry about getting money. You were already provided with the things you need. Well thinks are about to change then, you thought and a rueful smile played on your lips.

Your curiosity caught the guardian's attention and he asked, "Have you ever seen the cities outside of Hamel?"

"No. I was never able to get out much. I was always holed up in Hamel. It wasn't fun." you replied sadly.

"Is it Velder where your new home is?"

"We'll look for the Solomon household here I guess. It's the one that stands out the most because it's an old house built right after the scattering of the El shards. It held its foundation since then."

"I see you know your history."

You flinched when he said that. You're going to blow your cover, you thought to yourself. "Yeah... I do don't I?"

"What's wrong?"

You could tell Chung was curious but you had to stray away from that subject, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

You made it clear that the subject was done as you became silent. The only sound was the horse's footsteps. It felt like days looking for the house and you were about to give up and move onto Feita until you saw the ancient house in the distance. You were right, it stood out because of it's old fashioned style. The mailbox read "Solomon" with pieces of mail sticking out. Chung dismounted and reached a hand towards you but you came down just as easily as Chung did. Chung raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you came from a temporary home?"

You twitched again. God you were so bad at laying low. "Yeah. I did it's just that I rode a horse when I was younger."

He bought it, "Oh. Well I hope you enjoy your new life here Miss Solomon. Farewell."

"Goodbye Chung. And thank you for the ride. I appreciate it."

He nodded and mounted back onto his horse. He slowly trotted away as you approached the household. You were nervous. What will they think of you? A burden? You hoped that won't be the case. You stopped on the porch and sat down on their swinging bench. "I'm really starting a new life." you whispered to yourself.

You wanted to knock on that door but sleep got the better of you. You lay down on the soft cushion, wrapped your cloak around you, and drifted to sleep.

* * *

**End Chapter**

**So we have a girl by the name of Ina who knows something fishy but you shouldn't suspect her right? She's only an innocent bystander who might have saw the kidnapping, who knows? Hehehe, I know! Cause I'm the writer. ;P But she meets the one and only Chung who is, in the first chapter, about ten years old. This will be an interesting story won't it? I hope you guys liked this cause this might be taken down.**

**Reviews! The only way to get better. T_T Helpful opinions if you want so say what I did right, wrong, good, bad, and all that jazz. :)**

**The next chapter: The Rise of a Guardian (Part 1)**


	2. Rise of a Guardian (Part 1)

**Hello once again! I have finally posted a new chapter for this story but not the other ones who need the most work. How great is that? xD So, I want to know if you guys want to know the job classes early in the story or not. Because I just might forget what they are in like a month or something. xD I'm soooooo bad at trying to remember things. Plus, I have two other characters and they are both CHUNGS. :D I like Chung so much, I don't know why. Their names are ShadowMirage and Shadowwolftw. If you want you can find me or whatever. 0_0 I'm all burned out from writing an essay for my English class so this chapter might not be good as you think. But enough about my life, READ! XD**

**FYI this is all Ina. No Chung POV. Sorry. :(**

**DISCLAIMER: No. -_-**

**Start Chapter**

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Chapter 2: Rise of a Guardian (Part 1)

**-223Three years later223-**

**-223InaPOV223-**

You splashed warm water on your face to wake yourself up more. It was a sunny morning at your home but you were very tired. You slept very late last night because the burn on your neck was acting up horribly. You wanted to itch the thing so badly but if you did, they wouldn't recognize who you are. It would get messed up that easily. You thought about it and decided to take a look at the mark. It showed the sign of a warrior, you're supposed job class. You sighed and wrapped the scarf around in a memorized way. Why? Why do I keep going on like this? Why do I keep on fighting like this?

Because it's your duty Ina. You have to stay alive. They are counting on you to finish what you started.

You shook your head. You're glad that one part of your mind puts your head back on straight. Either that or you're that stubborn which in itself is good. Hopefully. You did one final stretch as you heard your mother call, "Ina? Are you up?"

"Yeah!" you called back.

"Alright then, come down to eat your breakfast!"

"Okay!"

You quickly got yourself changed and ready to start the day. You exited the bathroom and ran down the stairs. Three flights can give a good warm up in the morning. As you neared the kitchen, you could already smell the delicious alchemy happening in there. You peeked inside the kitchen to find your mother bringing food to the table and your father getting ready to go to work at Hamel. He saw you and grinned, "Well look who finally came down."

You smiled and walked over to hug your father. His black hair hung low on his forehead but his bright brown eyes always shining always made your day sometimes. He patted your head, "Be good okay?"

"Of course I will father. I always will."

He chuckled as you both made your way to the door, "I guess I shouldn't worry then huh?"

"Nope!"

"Haha, alrighty then goodbye."

"Goodbye father." you said while waving at him. He mounted on his horse and rode away. You stood there for a while longer while staring at the huge city a mile away from where you are. Hamel... You turned back inside and went back to the kitchen. Your mother looked up and smiled, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah."

"But you look tired. I see baggy eyes. What happened?"

"I'm fine mom, don't worry."

She thought about our for a moment and sighed, "Whatever you say..."

You ate in silence with your mother as you ate sausages, eggs, and waffles. You finished before your mother and excused yourself to your room. You closed your door and stood for a moment. Should I bring it out? It has been sitting in my closet for a pretty long time... You walked to the closet and threw the doors open. You saw shirts hung into a nice neat row and the rest of your pants, shorts, and such folded neatly into small piles in your drawers. And then sitting in an empty drawer was the nasod core. A bright yellow that seems to shine even when it has been turned off. You opened the drawer and touched the core lightly. It turned on immediately. A beep resounded in your room and letters appearing above the yellow orb,_ Hello again master. How may I be of service today?_

"Um, no service is required as of right now. Can't I just talk to you freely?"

_Talk freely? Cannot compute, what do mean master?_

You sighed, "Nothing, just nothing."

_I am sorry for asking such a question if master is upset._

"No, no. Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

_Are you really fine master?_

"Yes, of course!"

The core vibrated,_ If master say so._

You were annoyed by the fact that the core acts very peculiar. No mechanical. But what did you expect? Here was only a round yellow orb...that can write and does this thing called "enhancement". You haven't really figured out what enhancement does but you get a hint that it upgrades something. The problem was what it upgrades. You started tapping the orb anxiously, wondering what you should do next. However, you remembered that you had chores to do. You take it saying, "Go back to sleep."

_Beginning hibernation process._

The aura it emitted died away and glowed from time to time. You put it back into the drawer and rushed down the stairs to receive your daily chores. You looked into the kitchen to find your mother getting ready for work also. She works as a housemaid for the Seiker family. When you first heard of that, you were quite surprised. This family has a tie with the Seiker family of all people. She looked up and said, "You're chores are on the table here. I'm going right now."

"Okay mom, have a good day."

"Thank you." she smiled pleasantly at you and left for work.

Once your mother left, you took a deep breath in and picked up the paper. The usual stuff. Clean the kitchen, clean the rooms, sweep the floors, wash the windows, etc, etc, etc. You sighed at your monotonous lifestyle. It seemed almost slave like but you didn't mind. It gave you time to think about things. You started with the kitchen. First you washed the leftover dishes and put them away in their rightful cupboards. Then you cleaned the table and the utensils that your mother used for the alchemy. You sighed happily as you looked around the clean kitchen. It always amazed you at how you can keep this mansion sized house clean. You looked at your list and checked off the kitchen. Now it was the worst of them all: the rooms. There were many rooms in the house that you had to attend to except for your room and your parent's room of course. You entered your brother's room. It was nice and clean like it always was but you suddenly became sad. You missed Jonah. He joined the Velder garrison about a year ago. You remembered it like it was yesterday. The only thing he need was the clothes he was wearing. He wrapped his cloak around himself and looked at you. You smiled sadly. He started tearing up and hugged you tightly whispering desperately that he didn't want to go. Tears ran down your cheeks as you said to him that he needed to. He was recruited. For god's sake, recruiting a ten year old boy?! That seemed insane! But here he was, being taken right before my eyes.

Mother was crying at the sight of her only son going off to train in warfare. Father was comforting her and he was also tearing up. You looked on sadly as the man who came to pick him up lead him away from the house. You felt yourself shaking. Jonah, why? He jumped into the back of the cart with a few other boys around the same age as him and they rode away. You walked to the edge of the picket fence and called, "Jonah!"

He looked at your slowly fading figure, his cloak flapping softly against him. You pointed your left thumb at yourself and then pointed your index finger at his figure. Our way of saying I love you. He did the same gesture and sat back down, his back turned away from you. You knew he did that for a reason. It would make it harder for him to leave his family. You felt father's hand on your shoulder and you looked up. He smiled and said that we will see him again. But who knew how long it would take. Months, years, decades? However, you kept your eyes on the road ever since. You shook your head and looked around his room. Nothing seemed like it needs cleaning. Just dust the desk and move on Ina. Stop wasting your time. And you did so.

**-223-**

You were done with everything else by the afternoon and boy were you hungry. You looked through the fridge and spotted a few things that you could whip up. Meat, flour, and aqua. Grilled meat. However, you also had to have something with the grilled meat like a salad. However, there were no vegetables or fruits in the fridge. "Hmmm...," you muttered, "maybe there is something out in the garden?"

You took a look and found that there were still a few plants growing but the rest were just waiting to be picked. You walked back to the kitchen to find the gardening basket and picked out the produce you were planning on eating. Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, herbs, apples, and such. You proceeded to make lunch as you entered the house but then thought of something. The mail. When was the last time you checked the mail? You mentally face palmed yourself and went to the heavily ornamented box. It was so showy but hey, it's part of a mansion sized house. What else did I expect, marble pillars? You thought about it and looked back at the house. The porch had marble pillars that supported the little roof above the porch. Your expression: (-_-") Okay so there ARE marble pillars but... You stopped there. This mansion has many things. Too many things. But you pushed those silly thoughts away and looked at the mail. There were things for father mostly but the last one contained a letter for you. For me, you thought. Who would send you a letter? Well you were about to find out soon.

You placed the rest of the mail on father's night table and walked down the stairs while opening the letter. It had the Seiker seal on the back. Chung? Why would he send me a letter? You opened carefully and read the contents as you sat down at the dining table:

_**Dear Ina,**_

_**Hey! Long time, no see! Literally I'm not seeing you as much though I do see your mother from time to time. I know she works as a maid at our home. I just want to ask how you were doing and I'm worried. Is your mother and father treating you like a slave? If they are then I'll try to help as much as I can! But really Ina if they are treating you like that then tell me. But anyway how are you?...**_

And it went on about how you were and how you've been. You smiled at his letter. He remembers you. Always thinking about you and stuff. Wait a minute, you thought, Always thinking about me? You read through the letter again and found the sentence. What the heck? But you were happy to write back to him. You rummaged through the kitchen drawers but found nothing. What the heck were YOU thinking? Instead you went to your room to write a letter back and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. You sat down at the table and took a look at his note again to answer his questions. First if all, you weren't being treated like a slave, you assured on the paper in a whole paragraph and you went on with how you were doing at your new home. You enjoyed your parents and your younger brother. You did tell him about his recruiting and painful detail but you managed not to stop. Be strong Ina, you thought, Don't let your sadness overwhelm you.

Your letter ended up being about two pieces of papers long, front and back. You reread your letter and nodded your head in confirmation that it's okay. You slid the sucker in and walked out to the box. There you placed the letter in the box and raised the red flag. You looked again at the mighty city of Hamel in the distance and you wondered, Will I ever go back? That thought stayed in your mind as you walked back to the house with purpose. It's time to start. You ran up the stairs with haste and pulled out the core. It turned on again by your touch and typed out, _Is master ready?_

"Yes core," you said, "I'm ready to start my training."

_Then proceed to your training area master._

"I will. Don't worry."

You walked out through the back door and walked on a worn down but clear path to your destination. It was a good thing that the spot wasn't far from home otherwise you would have to plan out something that would help you get back. You walked right into a spacious area where the grass was growing tall and the bushes were getting bushier. There you set the core down on a low hanging branch and you said, "Initiate training mode."

_What shall you fight today master?_

"Give me anything."

_Processing random enemy... Creating: Glitter Shield_

Oh man, those guys are annoying, you thought. But you didn't say anything. The core made two beeps and configured a hologram of a glitter shield. It then turned from a grid like figure into something very real. So real that you actually thought that it was a real glitter. _Attack?_

"Of course."

The glitter set his shield and ran to you in a rush. You easily jumped over him and butterfly kicked his back into the bushes. He growled and ran at you again. Again you jumped over him but he turned around to hit you with his shield. Too easy, you thought. Once the shield made contact, a powerful force knocked the thing back, making it stumble. You had your chance. You rushed up to him and delivered a powerful punch on it's jaw and headbutted it's armored stomach. Your head started to swoon a little. I hit it too hard, you thought as you lightly touched your forehead. The glitter disappeared back into the core and you sighed. The core wrote down,_ You are learning very fast master. You memorized the way he attacks, how fast he is, and how much power he puts in his attacks. Are you sure you're really training?_

"I am," you said a little doubtfully, "I am." Truthfully, you didn't know if you were even getting better at this. You know to defeat many types of glitters but what about the ones outside of Velder? What about Bethma or Elder? They had monsters you have never seen before that you wanted to fight very badly. Lizardmen for crying out loud! You wanted to know what the heck those things were. You sighed again and flopped to the ground. You're getting nowhere, you thought as you finally realized it. I should get out more. But if you did, mother and father would be very agitated by that. For some reason they didn't like it when you go outside of Velder. It's almost as if they think that you can't take the outside world. However, they didn't know that you secretly train yourself with a powerful nasod core that helps you in every way possible. The core rolled off of the branch and thudded on the grass. You twitched as you strained your ears for any cracking sounds. It started rolling towards you with it typing down,_ Do you want to continue master? I can try to configure up enemies that you might want to face._

"No it's fine. I think I just lowered my passion for the training. Maybe I should stop all together."

_Then what will you do with your spare time master? You can't just sit around all day doing nothing productive to you or your family._

You thought about it. I would have nothing to do, you thought. You rolled on your back and looked at the blue sky. There was wind blowing softly against the leaves causing them to stir up noise that lulled you a little. The core wrote down,_ Master?_

"Yes?"

_What are you going to do now?_

"I...don't know."

_Please start training again master. I'll try to find ways you can make yourself better at battle. Maybe you could start using magic. It will help you very much._

Magic? You never thought about magic. Always try something new, you always told yourself. You jumped up and picked up the core saying, "What are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

**-223-**

The core told you to relax and let instinct take place for you. He showed you two moves that you already knew which were called Pain of a Thousand Punches and Razor Rush. Pain of a Thousand Punches lets you gain a speed boost for a short while as you punch as fast as the wind causing minimal but continuous damage. Once you're done with the combo, you then execute a powerful one inch punch that has a high critical hit ratio. Razor Rush lets you speed past the enemy for a moment but you turn back to deliver a fast double kick that prevents enemy knockback so you can continue on with your combo. The core wrote down, _Though it may not feel like it's taking mana, it really is. So be careful about how you use your mana master. Remember not to let it run so low that you can't activate your specials._

"Got it."

_I want you to try them out on one of the glitters alright?_

"Okay. I'll be careful."

_Okay. Processing: Glitter Archer_

Again, it turned from something three dimensional into something so real._ I won't make it fight you so that you can use your specials effectively and efficiently. Go ahead and try them out._

You nodded and thought about Razor Rush. First of all you let your instincts take over. Then you knew what to do. You started running on the balls of your foot which then turned into a full scale sprint and you used your shoulder to hit the archer square on the chest and gracefully swung around to his back. He started falling back but you quickly recovered, as you should, and executed the double kick. It stopped him from falling backwards and it somehow let him regained his balance. You laughed a little at how you used magic for the first time. It was like a small electric shock that drained a little of your energy but you were still fine. _How did that feel master? Are you okay?_

"I'm great actually. I used magic for the first time. It was amazing."

_I'm glad you liked it. Can you try Pain of a Thousand Punches? Like I said if you want to work on your magic then you need to work hard to master them._

"I'll try it don't worry. But why can't I use Razor Rush again?"

_Every special ability has a cool down time. For Razor Rush, it has a cool down time for ten seconds which means you can activate now. Pain of a Thousand Punches has a cool down time for about fifteen, give or take a few more seconds._

"Why? So I don't spam powerful moves?"

_Probably. Even I don't know master._

"Well that's a first. I thought you were laced with knowledge of everything about Elrios. Aren't you?"

_I am not sure nor I am knowledgeable. I just observe history wherever I can find it._

"Whatever. How long has it been?"

_A whole hour. Why?_

"I should return home. My parents would be coming back soon."

_Use the second move at least once master. I have to observe how you do it._

"Alright."

The process started over again but this time you were front of the thing and for a moment you threw your arm back and whispered, "Pain of a Thousand Punches."

You started punching faster and faster until your arms became blurs. You could tell it wasn't doing a lot of damage but there was no break between punches. Your arms felt fine. After five seconds (seconds?) you withdrawn and did a one inch punch into the glitter's face. He disappeared back into the core. _Very well done master. It seems like you're getting the hang of using magic. Are we returning home now?_

"Yeah but boy that was a great experience. I just might start using magic from now on."

_:) Good for you master._

You laughed at the fact it was using emotes but didn't say anything about it. You picked up the core and walked back to the house with a triumphant smile on your face. You just might ignore the burn tonight.

**-223-**

The next morning there was another letter for you. But looking at the handwriting, it was too neat for it to be Chung's. Confused, you opened the thing and your eyes widened. The Velder garrison was recruiting you. You stood there for an awfully long time. You're going to join Jonah? You'll see him but... You looked up and found that the room was empty. Mother and father were off for work so you were there all by yourself with the recruiting letter. The very last few sentences stated, "We will be recruiting your daughter tomorrow at exactly at 8:00. Please let her be prepared to go. She shall bring nothing with her." Why? They're taking in young girls like me? But...why?! Well there was Vanessa who's a pretty good commander but why me of all people? You didn't want mother and father crying again for another loss. They were already sad enough when Jonah went. You put the letter down. Your heart felt heavier as your shoulders sagged. Is something going to happen? If they're recruiting again then that means something is going to happen. The problem was what.

The letter lay there as you sat thinking about what will happen. You felt compelled to throw the letter away and forget about the thing but it was inevitable. The recruiting was inevitable. The day dragged on and you aren't as motivated as you were yesterday. The core asked you, _What's wrong master? Is something the matter?_

"No..."

_You're making it obvious. I can tell._

You sighed and told the core about the letter. It responded, _Something will happen. They are taking precautionary measures probably._

"But that means I have to leave mother and father like Jonah left them. And me. I don't want them to be sad again. They don't deserve that type of torture, not knowing if their child is still alive."

_I do not mean to sound rude but it's the truth master. If they think something will happen in the near future then you should help in any way you can. To protect the ones you love the most. It does require sacrifice but it's how it was meant to be. Isn't it?_

"You make it sound like you know the future." you laughed a little.

_Truthfully, the future is unknown to me. However, looking through recent news, I have found that many journalists are stating about "a coming darkness" that will engulf the powerful city Hamel first. It will work it's way from there._

You were shocked by the news. Why haven't you heard about this before? Core continued, _It's only a prediction though. There won't be much of a chance of it happening though they are still warning the people to prepare themselves. I do not think that the people took the news seriously._

"Of course they wouldn't," you muttered to yourself mostly, "It sounds ridiculous. But I don't know. They might just be going a little overboard with this 'darkness' stuff and everything."

CRACK! It was a pretty loud one too. You heard familiar huffing of a glitter shield beating it's way out of the brush to the open space. You smiled a little. Something to make me forget about the letter. You stood and brought your hands into an offensive position as the glitter drew nearer. But what you noticed was how it was in a different color. A more darker color. Once you made eye contact, the thing came charging. You managed to dodge out of the way and the thing ran into the other side to whichever way. You brought down the core and said, "Analyze, quickly!"

_Analyzing... Cannot find target._

"Damn it!" You looked to where the leaves started shaking and he came out again in another rush. "Analyze, analyze!"

_Analyzing...complete. It's just another glitter shield but it's from the Feita region. For some reason he has come here but reason is unknown. Analyze further?_

"That's good enough." You took the Razor Rush stance and waited for him to come closer. Once he was about 200 feet away from you, you activated your rush attack. He fell, already dead. You breathed a sigh and put the core on the grass. He typed out, _Master, are you alright?_

"I'm fine."

_Master._

"Yeah?"

_I think it's time you head home. And you know...break the news._

Right, you thought. This will be a tough night.

**-223-**

You stood at the edge of the lawn with mother and father next to you. Mother was clutching your hand tightly while father's hand was on your shoulder. You just feel the sadness pouring out of them. They're losing yet another child to the army. The horse drawn cart was pulling nearer and nearer to you at an excruciatingly slow pace. There sat the same man who took Jonah away. He hopped off and tilted his head in greetings, "Good morning Solomon family. I am here to pick up your daughter Ina."

You walked forward two steps but could go any further. Mother and father's hands were still on you. His battle hardened expression softened, "It's hard losing a child to the military but I can assure you that you're son is still alive and well. If he can survive the training, then I bet your daughter will do even better."

Father let go of his grip and mother let go also. Mother was crying softly as father comforted her in a hushed tone. He looked at you straight in the eyes, "Are you ready?"

You nodded your head slowly and went to the back of the cart. There sat a few other boys and one girl who were all asleep. All who seemed like they were younger than you. You sighed sadly and sat in and empty space away from the other kids. On the inside, you felt the round core tucked away in your special bag hidden under your cloak. It was warm from your body heat. You stared at mother and father as you rode away into the city. Where the dangers lie. Where your life changed for the better.

* * *

**End Chapter**

**Hahaha so this chapter might not be the best I've written but please don't be so harsh on me. Like I said, I wrote this after writing an essay so I was burned out. Haha, I'm still burned out. :D But anyway, Miss Solomon is recruited. She's joining her brother? Will they be reunited? Hopefully yeah?**

**Reviews! I dunno if I want them or not but you can leave one if you want. Say what I did good, bad, right, wrong, and all that good stuff. :)**

**The chapter: The Rise of a Guardian (Part 2) *(This might be the longest chapter split I've ever had. Might go out into four parts. Haha.) **


	3. Rise of a Guardian (Part 2)

**Me: Hello once again! I HAVE RETURNED! WITH A NEW CHAPTER! :D**

**Elsword: *claps enthusiastically* Yay...**

**Aisha: Good job Shadow!**

**(Yes, refer to me as Shadow from now on! I like that name mwahahahaha :D)**

**Rena: Yay! :D**

**Raven: Grats. *minds his own business***

**Eve: That's good Shadow.**

**Chung: Yay! :D**

**Ina: Good job? *confused at the excitement***

**Nate: Heh, a job well done Shadow.**

**Me: OF COURSE! READ EVERYONE!**

**Elsword: No. :D**

**Me: ... *evil aura surrounds me* What did you say Els?**

**Elsword: ...No! :D**

**Me: *picks up Chung's Destroyer* I will shoot you in the face! :D**

**Elsword: o.o; *books it***

**Me: COME BACK HERE! *chases after him***

**Aisha: Hahaha they fight more than we do!**

**Rena: o.o; Is that...good?**

**Raven: *shrugs and watches me and Elsword run around***

**Eve: I'm not too sure on that either.**

**Chung: I hope Shadow is okay lugging that huge thing around.**

**Ina: Psssh, Shadow can do it.**

**Nate: *stands around awkwardly* o_o**

**Me: Dang it! He got away! *sigh* Oh well, start reading peoples! But I will find Elsword! +_+**

**Everyone except for Els: o.o;**

**Me: Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha!**

**DISCLAIMER: No. -_-**

**Start Chapter**

* * *

Chapter 3: Rise of a Guardian (Part 2)

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

You were as still as a statue on the cart. You didn't look at everybody else. You were still sad by the fact that you left mother and father. It was painful to see them hurt like that. Tears were threatening to fall and the core was glowing a dull yellow, humming soft enough for you to hear. It also gave off a comforting warmth at your side which spread all around you. However, as you neared Velder, the wind started to pick up. You could see that everyone else were wrapping their cloaks around them tightly. One of the kids in the cart caught your attention though. He was sitting right across you, wearing all black. His hood covered his eyes and nose but his lips were stuck on a frown. You could see that he wore a scarf that was big enough for his chin to be tucked in nicely and from the looks of it, he wore black pants with white cover that is held by the pants. You also threw your hood on to keep the wind from biting at your neck. You kept staring at the boy until he looked up. He had beautiful green eyes that shined brightly against his dark clothing. You could also see the faint outline of his jet black hair. He gave you a small smile. You were surprised by that but you also gave him a smile too. He breathed out a chuckle and rested his head on his knees. You have the urge to start talking to him. But, that would be awkward wouldn't it? Since there are other kids that are terribly sad. But the boy spoke up first, "Hi there."

You were surprised yet again but you needed someone to talk to, "Hi."

He smiled, "I'm Nathaniel. You can just call me Nate."

You returned the smile, "I'm Ina. Ina Solomon. But just call me Ina."

He laughed, "Alright then, Ina. Do you...do you think you'll like the life ahead of you...?"

You frowned slightly, "I'm not too sure. What about you?"

"I think I'll like it. I lived all by myself anyway..."

A pang of sadness rose up, "You lived...by yourself?"

He sighed, "If I tell you the whole story, you might start tearing up...and I hate it when a girl cries..."

"I won't cry." You reassured him.

He was silent for a moment. His bright green eyes seemed duller now. You were perplexed by the the way his eyes changes with his mood. He sighed again and made his way to your side. You scooted over to make room for him and he sat next to you, arms wrapped around his legs. He sighed and said softly, "Well, my parents left me to die once I was born. They left me out on the street, like right in the middle of the road, for me to get run over and end my life. However, a couple picked me up and dropped me off at a nearby orphanage in Velder. There, I was a silent little boy that talked to no one. A loner, some might say. I excelled in all the subjects that were thrown at me and the adults there liked me very much. However, I wasn't happy there. I had this urge to go to places and so I did. I ended up in Velder with no purpose and I didn't want to go back there. So I took up a job and raised myself. I did very well but I wanted more. That's when I heard about Velder recruiting soldiers. I thought the military life would give something more than what I made."

You sat there looking at Nate. He was staring blankly ahead and then looked at you. You smiled, "I didn't cry Nate."

He chuckled, "No. You didn't."

"You're better off than I was."

"Oh? How so?"

You didn't want to almost blow your cover like you did with Chung so you simply said, "I don't want to say..."

Nate stared at you but nodded his head, "I understand... Whoa, is THIS the Southern Gate?"

You looked up at the towering gates that seemed like it was in par with Hamel's. "I think so. It's huge."

Nate looked in wonder as the cart went through the gates and into the city. You stared in wonder at this place called Commercial Area 1. Everything was nice and clean, free of trash and pedestrians walking about. You could see people staring at the cart that was being taken to the Palace Entrance. It made you feel very uncomfortable. Next was Hope Bridge. The immense size of it amazed you. You could also tell Nate was amazed by the way he leaned over to get a better look at the bridge on the other side. "This place is so majestic." Nate stated.

You smiled, "Yeah. Velder Kingdom is a cool place."

The cart arrived at the Palace Entrance where the cart stopped. Everybody on the cart looked to see what was happening. The gates slowly opened to reveal what was inside: a majestic palace and a long life ahead.

**-223-NathanielPOV-223-**

You stared at the letter that was sent to you by the garrison. You had a small smile on your face that showed that you were pretty excited to be part of the military. Oh how I long to fight again, you thought happily. I mean, I used to be his right hand man until the power of El vanished... You shook your head. Don't think about that now Nate. Focus on what's ahead. You looked out the kitchen window and saw that the sun was still crawling it's way towards the sky. Solace... You sighed heavily and readied yourself for departure.

You tied your cloak around your shoulders and picked up a menacing scythe that was leaning against the kitchen table. It gleamed from the rays of light that made you smile yet again. I'll be able to use you...hopefully. You strapped the scythe onto your back and it disappeared from human eyes. Next, you patted yourself to around the thighs to know you have your hunter daggers with you. They became useful weapons ever since you've fallen. You took a look around the kitchen one last time. This is the last you'll ever see of it. You chuckled as you heard the knock. You walked up to the door and opened to find a young man with a battled scarred face who said, "Are you the one called Nathaniel?"

You tried to hold down a smirk, "Yes?"

"You have been recruited to the Velder Garrison. Are you ready to depart?"

You walked out the door, closed it behind you, locked it, turned back to the man with a smile and said, "I'm more than ready to depart kind sir."

He was silent for a moment but shook his head from what he was thinking and said, "Alright then. Come, we are still on a tight schedule."

You nodded your head and followed after the man. You jumped in to find about three other kids within the cart, all younger than you except for that one girl sitting behind the man who just talked to you. You threw your hood on and walked to the back to where the girl sat. However, you sat across her and bundled yourself together, frowning slightly. Through the edge of the hood, you could see the girl's short, light brown hair flicking softly against her face. Her sky blue eyes amazed and made you think that she was beautiful. Which she is. You could feel your face become warm by thought of it. You looked at the girl again and she was looking at you. Checking me out? Like I did with her? You laughed silently and looked up. You let her see your green eyes and part of your black hair. A natural smile played on your lips in greetings. She looked surprised but she smiled back at you. You breathed out a laugh and rested your head on your knees, wondering if you should talk to her. Maybe she'll be my friend, you thought, I've always wanted a friend. So you spoke, "Hi there."

She looked surprised again. Did...did I do something wrong? However, she replied back to you, "Hi."

You smiled in relief and went straight to the introductions, "I'm Nathaniel. You can just call me Nate."

She, too, gave you a smile, "I'm Ina. Ina Solomon. But just call me Ina."

You laughed to relief the tension in you, "Alright then, Ina. Do you...do you think you'll like the life ahead of you...?"

Her frown made you twitch, "I'm not too sure. What about you?"

"I think I'll like it," you said softly, "I lived by myself anyway..."

Her frown made you feel sad but you listened to what Ina had to say, "You lived...by yourself?"

You sighed, "If I tell you the whole story, you might start tearing up...and I hate it when a girl cries..."

"I won't cry." Ina simply stated.

You thought about it for a moment and came up with the perfect story to cover up your...other one. You made your way to Ina's side of the cart and sat down next to her. You sighed sullenly and said, "Well, my parents left me to die once I was born. They left me out on the street, like right in the middle of the road, for me to get run over and end my life. However, a couple picked me up and dropped me off at a nearby orphanage in Velder. There, I was a silent little boy that talked to no one. A loner, some might say. I excelled in all the subjects that were thrown at me and the adults there liked me very much. However, I wasn't happy there. I had this urge to go to places and so I did. I ended up in Velder with no purpose and I didn't want to go back there. So I took up a job and raised myself. I did very well but I wanted more. That's when I heard about Velder recruiting soldiers. I thought the military life would give something more than what I made."

You looked at anything that was in front of you with a blank expression. Or at least you thought you had a blank expression on your face. I don't want to see her cry, you thought sullenly. For some reason, it just hurts me to see a girl cry. You took a deep breath and looked at Ina. There were no tears which was good. Really good. She smiled at you, "I didn't cry Nate."

You chuckled at her strong will, "No. You didn't."

"You're better off than I was."

"Oh? How so?"

Ina became silent. You thought the worst of her past. Nate, just what ARE you doing, you thought and mentally face palmed. You're being ridiculous. Ina spoke up, "I don't want to say..."

So you DID make her sad, oh my goodness, you thought angrily. Nate, you're so stupid! Why, why, why, why? AUUUUUUUUGH! However, on the outside, you were still staring at Ina and eventually nodded your head, "I understand... Whoa, is THIS the Southern Gate?"

You stared at the huge gates that towered so high above you. It was grand but dangerous with all the armed guards lining the top of the wall. Ina spoke up again, "I think so. It's huge."

You still stared in wonder at such a place that humans have built. It area was so grand and clean! Just like back at home in the clouds... People were staring at the cart you were in which you didn't mind. You were pretty occupied with looking at everything else like the tall buildings that were supposed to be houses. How can houses be that big?! You began to wonder if you even knew what the mortal world can be like. One thing I know for sure, you thought, is that I can die. And I won't be able to come back like I did when I was immortal. The cart then crossed an IMMENSE bridge that you thought was unnecessary. However, you looked at the majesty of the bridge and the water underneath. You then turned your head towards the gates that loomed above you but wasn't as tall as Southern Gate. The cart stopped and the gates opened slowly to reveal yet another majestic sight but also...knights sparring with each other with different types of weapons. You smiled. This...is going to be good.

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

The cart entered through the gates and around you, you saw knights sparring on one side and on the other were royalty walking on the streets. The palace houses nobles? Ridiculous, you thought. The nobles didn't stare at you like the other people did. However, the cart made a stop in front of the training field and the knight who picked you up walked to the back and looked at everyone in the cart, "All of you are now part of the Velder garrison. You should be proud to be part of such an army. Now we shall find out who we have with us."

He called out a young boy who was named Sola. Nathaniel twitched by hearing his name but you didn't ask. The knight looked at him and said to the knights behind him, "I think he'll be able to handle archery. Maybe even become a ranger if it's possible. Send him to the master archer."

A young knight walked up to him and lead him away from the training field. It seems different weapons have different fields, you thought. You heard him call out another name that belonged to another boy who was called Fira. He looked exactly like Sola. They must be twins. The knight caught onto that. He also sent Fira to the archery field and then he called your name. You carefully approached him and stood there staring at the ground. He took a good look at you but he didn't say anything. He called for one of his knights and and they talked to each other. You were confused by the fact that they couldn't place you into a certain field you could train in. The knight who brought you looked back at you cleared his throat and said, "We cannot classify your weapon of choice. Have you ever fought before?"

"With my fists, yes." You replied silently.

The knights were surprised but the one who drove the cart said, "We've never had a knight who uses their fists to fight. This could be difficult..."

You raised a brow, "Difficult?"

"The master of your art has died years ago and we have not found someone like him who knew how to fight with their fists. As I have said, this will be difficult to find you a place to train."

The armored knight spoke up, "She can always study from his scrolls that he left behind."

The knight who drove the cart mused, "Well, she can do that but we don't even know where the scrolls are..."

You were interested with learning new things from a master of your art. Someone knew how use their fists like you do? You definitely wanted to learn from what he left behind. You cleared your voice to catch the knight's attention and said, "I'm willing to find the scrolls that the master left behind."

Both knights were surprised by the fact that you were willing to learn by yourself but the knight who drove the cart slowly shook his head, "So you are willing to learn by yourself with scrolls that may or may not exist?"

You nodded your head, "Yes."

The knight shrugged, "The master's cottage is up in the mountains where he lived. I'll have a knight take you up there in a minute. Nathaniel?"

Nate came to where you were and looked at the knight straight in the eyes. The knight took a good look at him and said, "Can you carry a sword young man?"

Nate was silently considering before answering, "I'm not too sure but there is one weapon I can handle with ease."

"And that is?"

"A scythe good sir."

"A scythe? We don't have trainers who can use scythes. The closest one is probably the spear."

Nate cleared his throat, "But...I can always try something new. If you'll let me."

"Of course," the knight said patiently, "What other weapon would you like to try out?"

Nate considered it and a smile was slowly crawling up his lips. That scared you the way he was smiling. It turned into a wide grin and he said, "I would like to learn thievery. If you even have it for me to learn."

The knight nodded, "Thievery huh? Not popular but there are some few people that wants to learn it. Alrighty, the master is also up in the mountains so you'll be going with Miss Solomon. I'll fetch you two a ride."

You looked at him in disbelief and he looked back at you weirdly. You shook your head and whispered, "You chose thievery? Was that plan hatched out in your head?"

"What plan? I wanted to do thievery because it looks fun!" Nate whispered back.

You sighed silently, "Fine. I trust your judgement. But you want to stay with me? Was that what you intended to do?"

Nate hesitated, "Maybe..."

You smiled, "Awww. How cute."

Nate blushed, "Please don't make me red in the face."

You laughed, "You're already red. That's cute."

Nate touched his cheeks and sighed, "Dang it. My face feels so warm. You said it's red? Gosh darn it."

Nate looked so adorable at that time. You patted him on the back saying, "Come on Nate, how can blushing possibly hurt you?"

He was silent and was about to say something when the knight returned with a man carrying around an instrument. A bard, you thought. He smiled without a care and said, "Hello you two! How are you two on this fine day?"

Nate answered, "I'm doing fine thank you very much good sir. How are you today?"

The man laughed, "Ahh yes! You are a good man! I'm doing swell! Haha, he's the first to answer me after all the knights I have greeted. What is your name young man?"

He smiled, "Nathaniel. However, I go by Nate."

"I am Noel. Pleasure to meet a young man like you! What about you young lady?"

You looked up with a neutral face, "I am Ina Solomon sir."

"Heh, I thought it would be the other way around with you two. The girl being friendly and the boy being more resolute! Haha alright, where were we?" he asked turning to the knight next to him.

"You were going to transport them to their field...?"

He snapped his fingers, "That's right! Haha, you have a better memory than me! Alrighty then you two, come along! We shall take you to your designated field."

You were confused until you noticed that there was a cart that could seat two people behind Noel's horse. You walked to the cart with Nate beside you and you sat down next to Nate being too close for comfort. Noel looked back with a smile, "You comfortable back there you two? Hah, it looks like you two look more than comfortable! Hahaha!"

You felt your face being warm and took a sideways glance at Nate who was blushing furiously. You smiled and whispered, "Your face is red."

He sighed miserably and hit his head against the cart. Noel laughed and played his bard happily. You smiled again and noticed that you were going through a different area than Commercial Area 1. The cart passed by a sign that read Residential Area 3. It seems, you thought, that the majority lives in this area. There were houses densely packed together and the people were out and about. They looked at you with interest as Noel kept playing his bard happily and his horse going at a slow pace. You wanted to get out quickly, away from the eyes of others. Nate was tapping his foot and tried reaching for his hood but it seems he couldn't find it. You smiled and thought, I'm going to train myself? Well, I have the core with me so it probably won't be that hard...

It was the complete opposite once you got to your field.

* * *

**Chapter End**

**Me: WOO! Chapter is finished! :D**

**Chung: Congrats Shadow!**

**Me: Now I am off to find Elsword! *walks off with the Destroyer in hand***

**Chung: Nuuuuuuuu... :'(**

**Nate: *pats Chung's back* It'll be alright Chung. I'm sure Shadow will bring it back to yah.**

**Ina: *laughs* I highly doubt it.**

**Rena: Now I'm worried Shadow will annihilate Elsword.**

**Aisha: Nahhhhhh, don't worry Rena! Shadow knows when to stop.**

**Eve: *confused***

**LOL anyways, reviews! Tell me what you liked, not like, what was good, what was bad, and all that good stuff! xD**

**The next chapter, Part 3! **


	4. Rise of a Guardian (Part 3)

**Me: Hello everyone! I'm FINALLY BACK! And Ina's back from vacation! XD**

**Everyone but me and Ina: O.o Ina went on vacation?**

**Me: :3**

**Ina: :3 Twas a nice vacation.**

**Everyone but me and Ina: O.o? What is this black magic you both are using?**

**Me: Just read the new chapter! :3**

**-Chapter Start-**

* * *

Chapter 4: Rise of a Guardian (Part 3)

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

The cart kept up at a slow pace through the calm forest as the two of you headed to your training fields. The canopy gently swayed back and forth as rays of sunlight poured through them, causing patterns to shift and morph. The trees around you were thick and sturdy, as if they looked like a pain to chop down. You glanced at Nate who was staring blankly ahead or looked up at the sky through the canopy. His eyes then wandered down to meet yours and made contact. You stared at him and he stared right back. Within his eyes, you saw something unfamiliar. You thought for a moment you saw in his green eyes something unfriendly. And for a split second, his pupils turned into a black star. However, he turned away and said, "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

You looked ahead and considered on what you saw. You wanted know what happened so you said, "Well I saw your pupils change shape. What was that?"

Nate became silent by your question. You thought you struck something sensitive but your core started humming. You looked inside your cloak and saw words slowly being typed down. Master, I sense a life signature within his cloak also. But it's something that holds great power...something fearful...

You looked back at Nate who was still looking off at the distance. Maybe choosing carefully what to say next. You then spoke, "Is it something you don't want to talk about?"

Nate looked back at you with the same black star pupils and he said softly with a voice something completely different, more deeper and soothing, "Yes...I don't want to talk about it."

His voice was so soothing that you wanted fall asleep. And his green eyes looked like the ocean, the color crashing against each other and the black star. However, Nate twitched and shook his head vigorously. All of a sudden you leaned back and went slack.

**-223-NatePOV-223-**

You had your head resting on your lap and you tried breathing evenly. Your fallen spirit was acting up. 'Am I chosen to become a Fallen Spirit? But...I want my Divine Spirit back...' You looked up and found you were squinting from the little light shining from above. You sighed and looked over and Ina and saw that she was asleep. You gasped and thought, 'My Fallen Spirit did that...? Oh dear...'

You poked her face a few times to see if she would wake up but it was futile. She was completely knocked out. 'Damn. The Fallen can do that? I better be careful with my uncontrollable power...' Noel looked back at you and asked, "You two alright back there?"

"We're fine." You replied.

Noel smirked and went on playing his bard and humming happily. You leaned back and kept looking everywhere except for Ina. 'When are we going get to our fields? This is embarrassing...'

Suddenly you came out of the dense forest and into an open field. The wind blew gently against your face and ruffled your hair. Somewhere on the hills were little cottages but you saw a few people up there. Probably knights of the Velder Garrison training. Noel sighed, "This is such a nice and relaxing place! You know, before it turned into another training ground, it was a place where lovers would meet. You see that gnarled tree over there? That has been there for so long, no one knows when that tree was planted! Some say it was blessed by the Divine Spirit, others say that it was saved by the scattering of the El Shard. Such a mysterious tree. You know what we call that?"

"What do you call that tree?"

"We call that tree the Weeping Willow. Though people say it lives for all eternity, it will never be able to be with the rest of the trees. Shunned. Sad really. Ah, here we are! Your training grounds!"

You stared at the tree, looming over with thin, low hanging branches. Weeping. Your heart became heavy as you thought about your race. Gone. Ever since the El Shard scattered and Salvatore Solace disappeared... You sighed heavily and looked around. The first few cottages that passed were men using the bow and arrow. 'This is where Fira and Sola might've went.' And there you saw them. They were standing with a man who looked about five foot ten, yelling at the two of them. 'They must've have done something wrong...' You didn't notice Noel talking, "...which is a fine establishment! The best archers in Velder are trained here. And here is yours good sir Nathaniel."

The cart stopped in front of a cottage that was empty with the exception of a man sitting out front with his hat down low on his face. He looked like he was dressed for a stealth mission along with a deadly rapier strapped onto his back. Noel leaped off the horse with ease and approached the sleeping man, knocking on his head saying, "Ticus? Wake up! We have new recruit for you! Come and meet him!"

The man Ticus mumbled out something and turned away from Noel. Noel sighed and said, "I didn't want to have to do this."

Noel gently lifted up Ticus' hat and brought out a flask of water. He poured out every drop onto Ticus' head. Ticus awoke with a jolt and yelled, "Huh?! Who's there? Is the city in trouble? Where's my hunting daggers?"

Noel laughed heartily, "Calm yourself Ticus! You have a new recruit."

Noel gestured at you and you tipped your head and said, "Hello Mr. Ticus. I'm Nathaniel."

Ticus tipped his head also and smirked, "Just call me Ticus, Nate."

"And you can call me Nate."

"Now that two of you are acquainted," Noel said, "I shall be taking Miss Solomon to her training grounds. Luck to you Nate."

You nodded your head and looked at Ina still knocked out on the cart. 'The Fallen Spirit can make people fall asleep...I have to keep myself under control.' Ticus snapped his fingers right in front of your face, "You alright there Nate?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm fine Ticus."

He stood there for a moment before saying, "Follow me. I need to see if you can use hunting daggers. They're not as good as this rapier on me but when it comes to close quarter combat, I have to use them."

Your mind preoccupied to reply back to him. You were hoping that Ina would wake up soon. You looked back at the cart slowly rolling away. To who knows where.

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

Right when you knocked out it was a dreamless sleep at first. There were no images so you thought you would wake up sooner or later. However, you heard a voice call from the distance, 'Big Sis...'

You looked around to find who it was but there was only endless blackness. The only person you ever knew who would call you Big Sis was your brother but it wasn't possible. 'This can't be real...' Then a memory from the past jumped out from the blackness. It was you and your brother walking around the forest to find any berries because at that time, your backyard didn't have any plants growing. Your brother was too far ahead of you so you had to shout, "Jonah, come back here!"

He looked back, "I see berries onee-chan! Look! Hurry up!"

You laughed softly as you ran to catch up to him. He was right, there were plentiful berries growing. "Alrighty then," you said, "let's start picking."

The two of you walked around to pick and pick off berries. 'This is strange,' you thought, 'We're pretty far from home...and there are so few berries within town range...' You heard rustling near you and turned to face the source. Out came a Glitter Spearman and he charged right at Jonah. You gasped and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. The spear pierced through the basket he had but that didn't matter. You both wandered in to Glitter territory and you both needed to get out as quickly as possible. You both were running down the familiar path that lead to your backyard but you could hear the Glitter following. And he was closing in fast.

You shoved Jonah to one side as you crashed in the other. The Glitter ran past and you scrambled up to find Jonah. He stood up too but you gestured him to stay down and you did the same. The Glitter came back and looked from left to right trying to find us. Jonah looked through the leaves to find me. You could see the fear from his eyes but you put a finger up for him to stay silent. The Glitter stood there for a moment before retreating back into his territory. The next thing you knew, you were both running to get back to the safety of home. That was the time where fear really set in. And you wanted to be able to protect your brother. So you started the training program with the Nasod Core. 'That...seemed so long ago...' you thought. Then it became brighter. It blinded your vision for a moment and then you remembered. You were still on the cart and you jerked your head up to meet the ceiling above. It created a loud bang that made Noel turn to look back at you. "Owwww..." you muttered out as you rubbed your eyes.

You saw that Nate wasn't next to you anymore. You turned with a confused look and asked, "Where's Nate?"

"He's already at his training field," Noel replied while strumming his bard, "In the meantime, we're approaching your training or...what's left of it."

'What's left of it?' you thought anxiously, 'It must've been really neglected then...' Over the bend of the road, there it was. Rundown and neglected, just like you thought. It was also molding a little on the sides of the house which looked pretty disgusting. The tiles on the roof were broken and some were missing. You could even see a tiny hole up on the roof where water could have poured in and flooded the whole place. Shivers ran up your spine of what lies within the little cottage. The cart stopped and Noel stepped down, "Well, here we are! The Fighter's Spirit! The Warrior's Cottage!"

"It doesn't look all high and mighty as you make it sound..." you said glumly.

He patted your back, "If you can get it back into shape then you can see how strong it used to be! It used to be the strongest field in all of Velder!"

"R-really?"

"Yes! But ever since the last warrior fell, it was never touched again. The last warrior died in there. In his sleep, the poor man. Well, I should let you get down to business. Good luck young warrior!" and he trotted off back into Velder.

You sighed heavily and looked back at the ruined cottage. 'I have to clean up the mess? Haaa...at least it might pay off. I always need a clean work space.' And so you tried the door. It fell right off it's hinges. 'Oh dear...' You walked inside to find everything either in ruins or it was rotting. The stench of the old room, smelly food, and centuries old beer filled your nose until you started coughing. And it was dark. There were no candles at the very least. 'This is a HUGE mess! How am I gonna do this..?' You looked over at the nearest door and opened it to find old cleaning supplies. The only thing that was visible was a broom. It looked like it was in good condition. You grabbed it and looked around the room. 'Well...I better get started.'

**-223-**

Around six pm, you were exhausted. 'Good god...I never knew this mess would be hard to clean...' You were sitting on a chair that you cleaned before you started so that you can rest from time to time. You sweeped up every floor in the cottage so now it wasn't a cluttered mess. But then there was the stuff on the tables and desks that looked dangerous to touch. "Ugh...I'm really going to hate this."

Someone tapped on your the wall and Nate's head popped in, "Did you like kick down the door or something..?"

You sighed, "No. It was pretty old and it fell right off its hinges. I need to make a new door for this..."

Nate pursed his lips and said, "I'll put the door back!"

"Y-you will? How will you do that?"

He smiled and picked up the door. He set the thing at the door way and then...a gray light glowed from his hands. A few strands of the gray light jumped off of his hands gracefully and made their way to the hinges. The placed themselves inside and turned into screws. You gasped by the power and said, "What...what did you just use?"

"Discord." Nate replied softly.

"Discord?"

"Yeah. Discord. The power to create anything you want. And the power to destroy anything also."

'Discord? Haven't I heard that from somewhere before?' You thought you loud, "The Divine Race?"

Nate twitched. He then leaned his head on the door and whispered, "How did you know?"

You merely guess but you read it from a mythological book from when you were younger. The Divine Race are an immortal race that only few can be tamed. The only person who could ever tame many from the race was Salvatore Solace. He thought of them as equal individuals who need to be known. And he would make them stronger than they were before. Each Spirit agreed to work for Solace so as long he can grant power to them which he did. The power of Discord. You asked, "You worked for Salvatore Solace?"

Nate was silent for a moment before turning around with his black star pupils and he said with the same soothing voice, "Yes. I have"

**-223-NatePOV-223-**

'Damn it! I can't let my spirit take over again!' You tried so hard to pull yourself out of it but it wouldn't stop. The spirit was relentless. '_Come now Nate. Why don't you let me take over? That human body looks so delicious..._'

'What?! NO! Stop it! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!'

_'Pleasing myself~?'_

'No. Don't you dare take over.'

The spirit was silent before sighing over dramatically,_ 'Fiiiiine. You win this round Nate. But next time...I will touch that human body.'_

You felt the spirit back off and back into the darkest parts of your mind. You sighed heavily and sank to the floor. Ina gasped, "Nate! Are you alright?!"

She helped you up onto her chair and you groaned weakly. Fighting that thing for a short period of time made you this tired? You feared what would happen if it lasted longer. However, you sat up straight and said, "I'm fine Ina, don't worry about it. Ow..."

"You don't sound alright," Ina looked at you with a worried expression, "Here, let me get you something to drink."

She left for the kitchen which you could tell was a cluttered mess but you weren't worried about that at the moment. You held your head in between your hands and thought, 'What am I going to do? How I prevent that from happening again?'You looked up and thought about it for a moment. 'No...once you've Fallen...and you want to return to becoming a Divine Spirit...the power will be uncontrollable. You can't stop it unless you find a way to appease it. And for this guy...ugh...it'll be so hard to appease this guy...'

_'You called~?'_

'NO. Go away.'

He sighed,_ 'Awwwwwwww. Why do you hate me? I did nothing wrong! ...Did I?'_

'You're just bothering me and my thoughts. So just go away please.'

_'You want to return to your Divine Spirit don't you? And you know the rules young man~ You have to appease me! And what I want is the girl's-'_

'SHUT UP! Don't you dare say anything anymore! God, be quiet!'

_'Whatever! I'm gonna go back to sleep. G-night~!'_

You groaned and your head flopped back down to make you look at your legs. 'I can't find any other way to appease this little imp of a Spirit. Grrrr...is there not another way?' Ina came back from the kitchen with a clean glass of water. You were surprised that there was even clean water in this ruined cottage. She handed it to you, "Drink up."

You gladly took the glass and drank the whole thing in one gulp. Ina smiled and took the glass from you and went back into the kitchen, "You want more water Nate?"

"I'm fine, but thanks anyway."

She smiled and you heard her put the glass back into the sink. You sighed silently and thought more. But before you could even begin to think, she came back and sat down in front of you. You looked at her, "I'm having a mental battle with myself. Either that or a mental break down but a battle none of the less. And what's worse, I don't know how to solve it."

"A battle with your spirit?" Ina asked.

You nodded, "I don't know how to appease him. I mean, I do know but it seems so wrong. Almost perverted..."

Ina raised a brow, "Perverted? I don't like the sound of that."

"I'm sorry. My spirit is like that. I'd rather have anti-social spirit rather than a perverted one. I'm sorry Ina."

She gave you a kind smile and patted you on the back, "Don't worry about it Nate. I'm sure you'll find a way to appease that spirit."

"Thanks Ina. I appreciate it."

She looked outside and sighed, "You tired? I know I am. All that sweeping made me really tired."

You laughed, "I'll help you clean up! I don't have any training until night time sooooo yeah."

She laughed also, "Why don't you help me with the kitchen first? It's a complete mess and I need it in the morning."

And so you both went to work on the kitchen. From the looks of it, it seemed like the place that needed the most work. Rotting cheese, scattered plates, broken dishes and glass, beer mugs everywhere, and the dank smell of expired food made you throw up almost. Ina smiled sheepishly, "Yeah. This place needs a lot of work."

You regained your composure, plugged up your nose, and said, "I don't mind. Like I said, I'll help you out."

She handed you a mop with a bucket filled with soap water, "Let's get started why don't we?"

You nodded and began cleaning the dirty kitchen floor. 'Good god! Why did they neglect this place? Sure the last guy died but they should at least keep it clean...' After you stroked a few times, it didn't seem like the water wasn't penetrating the dirt and you were already tired. You sighed and asked, "Ina, this doesn't seem to be working. It doesn't even seem like it's penetrating through the dirt on the floor."

She looked over to you as she was washing a few dishes in the sink which was pouring out fresh water thankfully, "It isn't, isn't it? Yeah. Just keep trying Nate! If I can sweep out the whole cottage then you can too!"

"But I'm not as strong as you..."

"You dummy butt, come on! I believe in you!"

You gave out a sigh but secretly you were having fun with this. You really enjoyed being with Ina and doing anything and everything with her. Can it be? A Divine Spirit falling for a human being? Maybe...maybe not. You replied, "Alright, I'll keep going at this."

She looked at you with a smile, "Good!"

'Man...I really am a sucker...' You continued to mop the floor which you finally penetrated from stroke after stroke. It became easy when you penetrated the dirt though you were still tired from mopping off all that dirt. You were finished before Ina but she still had a long way to go. She only got through about half of the dirty dishes on the counter. And the rest was everywhere. You decided to help, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

She looked back at you, "I'll clean and you'll dry and put them away?"

You smiled sympathetically, "Sure."

Before the sun started to set, you were almost done with all of dishes. You were still thinking about how you should go about this. 'Maybe I really am chosen to follow the path of the Fallen? I don't want to take that path but I can feel my need for immortality fading... What?! What am I saying? My feelings are getting in the way... Yeah...that's it...' By the time the sun was gone, you were both finished with all the dishes, all put away the way Ina wanted it. You were sitting down next to Ina who resting her head on you shoulder, "Nate, you tired?"

You chuckled, "I have training after this. I can't be tired."

"Riiiiight. Right. I forgot."

"Go to sleep then if you're that tired. I won't stop you."

She hmmm'd for a moment before shaking her head, "Nah. I'll take a look around this dirty place, see what I find."

You chuckled again and got up, "Okay then. I'll be seeing you around then."

"See you later Nate."

You waved back and picked up your scythe that was leaning against the wall. 'She already knows...' You made the scythe visible, strapped the thing on your back, and left quickly. The training grounds were in the forest and Ticus said to come "well prepared". You didn't like the sound of that. But you're always prepared for anything. You've always been. You entered the forest and as you progressed through the thick foliage, it became darker. To the point where there was barely any light coming through the canopy. You remembered what Ticus told you as he took you to see if you could use your hunter daggers. "Tonight's training relies on pure instinct and using the six senses. As you can see, we have a new recruit so be nice to him. See all of you tonight." 'So even when you're new, training goes on. Heh it seems harsh but a I don't mind.' You continued along the path that you could barely see and heard a snap behind you. Upon instinct, you slid your scythe off your back and swung it to the source of the noise. There was a surprised gasp and someone saying, "Whoa there! I'm a friend! A friend!"

You raised a confused brow, "Jasom?"

He jumped down from up above with his hands in the air, "Yeah Nate. Please don't kill me."

You laughed and put the scythe back onto your back, "Don't stalk me like that Jasom. I could've killed you!"

He laughed, "That's what thievery is all about Nate. Stalking is one of them, surprisingly."

"Haha, really? That's hilarious."

Jasom pointed ahead, "We're almost there. I didn't think you'd make it this far Nate. You know, since you're a new recruit but there might be some potential within you."

"Thanks?"

You both came out into an empty clearing with the exception of Ticus standing in the middle of the clearing. You could see Jasom's face clearly and his dark clothes. What was conflicting about him was that his hair was as bright as the sun and fell in almost perfect waves. He had a light skin color that seemed so smooth and his blue kind eyes could melt anyone. You were a bit envious of his sleek, cat like body that you could get from training every night but he's your first friend you made. But any girl would've fallen for him. You were afraid that Ina might fall for him. You could gain the same body but you can't have his perfect face. You shook your head violently. 'Don't think like that. Ugh, so this is what humans feel everyday? I hope I won't get angry over the little things.' Ticus looked up and smiled, "Hey Jasom! You helped out the new recruit?"

Jasom nodded his head, "Nope. He made it most of the way. Believe it or not, he went faster than me."

Ticus looked surprised, "The new recruit is faster than Jasom? Interesting."

He then turned to the forest and said, "I'm going out for a moment. See you later you two."

You glanced over at Jasom, "I take it you're the fastest guy in this class?"

Jasom nodded and grinned, "I am. Ticus thought no one can beat me but now that you came along I think you might be able to beat me."

You smirked, "Oh really? Well, I just want to learn."

A few more boys came out from the same pathway and one of them spotted us. He had the same build as Jasom and he was just as handsome as Jasom. He smiled and scratched behind his head, "Hey there big bro! Haha you always manage beat me at this."

Jasom patted his brother's back, "Don't worry about it Kin. I'm sure you'll catch up."

He laughed and looked over at you. He gave a genuine smile and held out his hand, "Hey there! I'm Kin."

You took his hand in a firm grasp, "Nathaniel. Call me Nate. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine."

Jasom sat down and sighed, "I wonder where Ticus went. He always goes off and do his own thing."

Kin sat next to his older brother, "I guess that's what thievery makes you. Mysterious and quiet."

You sat down to complete the circle, "So you guys are brothers?"

They both nodded. However, you were confused, "You guys look like twins though."

Kin laughed, "Jasom is older. I'm younger but we were both born on the same day, just only a year apart."

You were bewildered. 'Born on the same day but just a year apart? That's insane! Humans are amazing sometimes...' You felt that your jaw went slack and the brothers laughed, "Believe it or not but it's true."

"That's...that's pretty awesome."

In your bewilderment, more boys came into the clearing. All had the same cat like body that you wanted very badly. You sighed as more boys filled in and a few girls came in too. One girl sat down between you and Jasom and she looked at you, "And who might you be? I've never seen you around."

"Don't even try to act stupid Helina. You know who he is, you just stalked him around for a while." Jasom said.

You were confused at what they were talking about. 'Stalking me? What?' The girl, Helina, scowled, "You're just jealous that I'm not interested in you~."

'W-w-what?! Interested...? In me?!' you thought frantically, 'I-impossible!' Jasom laughed, "Oh come on. I know you like me, you just don't want to admit it."

'I'm so confused...' you thought as you watched Jasom and Helina bicker at each other. You looked at Kin and he shrugged and smiled sheepishly. 'He doesn't know what's going on either...' Helina turned to you suddenly and she said, "He's handsome," she turned back to Jasom, "unlike you! You're sooooo ugly!"

"Lies!" Jasom said. "You're lying! I know you like me Helina! You just can't admit it."

She breathed out and stood, "You always manage to annoy me Jasom. Bye Nate~."

You waved at her before she went away and you looked at Jasom with a confused look, "W...what was all of that about?"

Jasom sighed, "Just another quarrel, don't mind her. She's the annoying one, not me. So Nate, how'd you like-"

"Watch out!" Kin yelled as he tackled me away from a sword plunging into my head. You both rolled for a while as everyone else was looking at the person who wielded the sword. You looked up and saw Ticus with his rapier in the ground and he smiled, "Tonight, we're going to learn about the element of surprise! Just for the new recruit."

You wanted to stand but you were discouraged by learning the new lesson. By the way the kids groaned when he said that, you thought, 'Oh...this sounds fun...' **  
**

* * *

**-Chapter End-**

**Me: Sooooo? How you like? :D Please leave a review on what I did right, wrong, what you liked, didn't liked and all that good stuff. 3**

**Ina: It's almost all Nate POV. :D**

**Me: Yah, I was like maybe my other OC should take the spotlight for a moment. XD**

**Nate: T.T Thank you Shadow! *hugs me***

**Me: No prob! *hugs back***

**Chung: When are you guys gonna meet me? o_o**

**Me: THAT'S RIGHT! Let's just say in the next chapter, they'll be meeting Chung again. :3**

**Chung: Yay! *pikachung ears perk up***

**Me: o.o OHMAHGAWWWWD! *tackles Chung into a hug* SOOOOOO CUUUUUUUTE~ 3**

**Elsword: Fangirl much? o.o**

**Me: His ears are cute~! :3**

**Haha, anyways watch out for the next installment! Probably in about another few months. T.T I'm so sorry. *goes to corner and cries* Oh! Before you go! *jumps up and turns to you* Check out the poll please. :3 Thank you very much! *goes back down and starts crying again***


	5. Rise of a Guardian (Part 4)

**Me: guest reviewer: No, I shall never let go of these adorable ears!**

**Chung: o_oll**

**Everyone: Um, Shadow, Chung has a part to play in this chapter.**

**Me: Huh? Whaaaaa?**

**Elsword: You wrote this chapter so that Chung can appear again. o.o**

**Me: *sudden realization dawning on me* THAT'S RIGHT. ...Fine you can go.**

**Chung: *walks away and hides behind door***

**Me: LOL and I promised you Chung so here he is! Some..where..near the end...of the chap..ter. Yeah. READ!**

**Chapter Start**

* * *

Rise of a Guardian (Part 4)

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

After the events of Nate's weird behavior, you rummaged through the cottage for anything useful to help you learn anything about this field. All you found were dead rats behind bookshelves and a disgusting liquid hidden under the table that was completely black. It made you want to throw up. You sat down and sighed, 'How am I going to learn anything under these conditions? I can't find a decent book inside this mess called a house.' You sighed again as you stood up and slammed your head against the table. That hurt A LOT. 'Oh my-I swear to god, I will fu-' and a book fell on your lap. It was in perfect condition with a chain wrapping around the book. The edge of the book was etched with strong iron that seemed like battle armor. 'What's this?' You flipped it to the front with more chains wrapping around the front and a lock right in the middle of the cover. You thought about it for a moment, 'I need...a key..? It's hopeless then..I can't find anything in this cottage, much less a key..' You sighed sadly. You could've learned more about more techniques to advance your power further but to do that...you had to find a key. You stood up and looked around the messy room with distaste. 'If only the key could be easily seen through all this mess.' You leaned against the table a little bit and felt that it was really cold. You looked down to see the the key RIGHT THERE. 'Oh how...convenient? It's all too easy..' However, you still took the key and opened the sucker.

Once you turned it, the chains started to unfurl themselves into the lock until they were gone from sight. You looked to see if the chains became smaller and wrapped around the lock but no. You saw nothing under the lock. 'Magic? This book is protected by magic?' You slowly opened the cover of the book and saw a small pocket knife in little pocket on the cover. And on the other side it read: YOU MUST TAKE THE MAIDEN OATH IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY ON BECOMING AN IRON MAIDEN. The requirements are: 1) You MUST stay as a maiden so NO LOVE between you and a boy, 2) If you are with a boy, you must break bonds with him, 3) You will stay true to the oath until the day you die.

It seemed a bit extreme but as you looked ahead, it talked about many techniques with simple chains. It really interested you so you took the book and sat down on the couch. 'Do I really have to take the maiden oath? From the looks of it...I have to sign the cover of the book with my blood...oh boy..' You took the pocket knife out and examined it. It was clean, fresh, and washed to the point that it shined in the sunlight. Both sides of the knife was sharpened and glinted against the moonlight. 'Alrighty...am I ready for this? I..hope I am.' You took your silver gauntlet off and held the knife close to your finger. You hesitated to poke your finger. 'Come on...just do it! Come on..' You felt your hand shaking but you lightly pricked your finger and a small stream of blood slowly bubbled down your finger. You quickly flipped to the cover and and signed your name Ina Solomon. All of a sudden, the bleeding your hand stopped. The book opened itself and went to a blank page. Black writing started to form: "You have now begun your journey to become the greatest warrior Elrios will ever face. By signing your name on the cover of the book, you have agreed to follow the Maiden Code. Proceed to learn young maiden."

The black ink melted away and the pages turned back to the very first page with show astrological sign of Virgo. A rush of wind breezed past you and then died down. The title read 'The origin of the Iron Maiden'. 'Oh' you thought, 'Have to do a bit of reading huh? Ugh fine.' You made yourself comfortable and began to read.

**-223-TwoYearsLater-223-**

**-223-NatePOV-223-**

You walked up the hill towards the cottage to see what Ina was up to. 'She's probably doing her exercises.' You knocked on the door and waited for a moment. From inside you heard her voice, "I'll be there in a sec!"

Throughout the past three years, she grew into a beautiful woman and you were more attracted to her than before. You didn't know humans could feel so strongly like this. 'I guess that's what I get for trying to ignore my feelings when I was immortal.' You sighed and straightened up as you heard the door open. Ina was before you and for a second, she blew you away. 'Every Time...gets me everytime..' You cleared your throat, "So, how do think you're doing Ina?"

She smiled, "It's going really well, thanks for asking Nate. What about you?"

"Well, we went out to go over our exercises and if you didn't notice, I got the same physique as the other boys." You smiled happily.

Ina laughed, "You look great Nate!"

You blushed a little bit, "Thanks Ina. Y..you look great too!"

"Aww, thank you Nate!"

You looked down as you fiddled with the cape around you that has the Velder insignia imprinted on the back. You liked it when it was just black but you were part of the army. They seem to wants everyone to know that he was part of their army. A thought crossed your mind, "Oh hey, our transport to Hamel in a month. Aren't you excited?"

Ina looked surprised, "Really? We're transporting to Hamel?!"

You nodded your head excitedly, "Vanessa says that we've been doing so well that she's going to let us go to Hamel to learn more about our fields! I'm so excited but sad to leave behind some good friends."

You looked over at Ina who was staring off into the distance. You waved your hand in front of her face, "Ina? You alright?"

She shook her head and laughed sheepishly, "Oh, well I was thinking about who would be teaching me in Hamel. If it's me again, I wouldn't be able to learn anymore haha."

"Oh really? Haha well I wouldn't know what to say."

Ina smiled again, "I'm excited too. I'll get to see an an old friend of mines.."

"Hm? Who is it?"

"Oh! Um well...his name is Chung. He's a guardian of Hamel. Called Hamel's White Wolf. Isn't that awesome?"

"Heh that does sound cool. I think I've heard of that name before. Isn't he part of the Seiker family?"

"Yeah! Oh man, I can't wait to see him! We've been sending each other letters every week or so."

You smiled half heartedly. 'She likes him..? I...I understand...' You yawned, "Training starts again in a few hours. Is it okay if I stay for a little bit?"

"Of course! Come inside!"

You walked in and sat down on the couch. There was no trash of any kind on the couch anymore and it was back to it's normal shade of green except for a darker spot on one of the cushions. And the rest of the living room was clean as well as the kitchen. 'She really must've put this place back in shape.' Ina came back out and sat down next to you and said with a small pout, "I don't really know what to do these days. I mean, I've done as much training as I could but I feel like I'm not doing any better."

"Has the core utilized every effective method you could learn?"

"I think it has Nate. Unless he's not doing the really hard ones like I asked him to."

The core's typed out words jumped out of Ina's pocket,_ I have searched and found every method for you to improve and we have finished them all. I have not skipped a single method._

"Hehe I know you're telling the truth silly. Back to hibernation mode."

_Hibernation mode activated._ You laughed, "That thing must like arguing."

"Core just likes to defend himself I guess." She giggled as she sat back.

'She's beautiful. So so beautiful.' You sighed and leaned back, "I'm so tired. Glad you cleaned this couch haha. Doesn't smell like crap anymore."

Ina smiled, "Yeah. Hated how they neglected this place. Oh, I was just making some smoothies that core looked up about. You want one?"

You nodded and leaned your head back some more. 'I wish I had the guts to tell her that she's beautiful. Why am I so scared of it? I was never scared when I was immortal...' Ina came back out with two glasses of red and yellow smoothies with a straw and umbrella. "I think the umbrella idea is really cute."

You took a sip from the smoothie and tasted the explosion of cold and many different flavors, "Oh yeah, haha it's really cute. But this smoothie is so good though! Aren't El Fire Smoothies or something?"

Ina giggled, "Yeah, it does taste good!"

You wanted this to last forever. But you knew that she must be thinking about the Chung boy. 'She must really like him...' You sat back and passively drank your smoothie in silence. Ina kept staring off into the distance, thinking probably. You put the cup down and stretched, "Well, I'm off to begin my training. God I hate night time training."

Ina stood up, "I'm sure you'll do great Nate! You'll probably do awesome with your skills!"

You chuckled, but inside you felt sad. 'She likes that Chung boy but she still likes me? Or...am I just overthinking this stuff? Human emotions can get so...complicated.' You walked over to the door with Ina at your side and she opened it for you. You both stood at the doorway for a moment and Ina said, "Well, good luck with your training! I'm sure you'll do really well!"

You looked at her and then started walking slowly, "Yeah, thanks Ina. Have a good night."

She looked on at you with an almost worried look but before you could take a second look, she was already back inside the cottage. You sighed again and continued to walk towards the training grounds.

**-223-AboutAWeekLater-223-**

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

You and Nate walked down the pier with people bustling in and out with baskets of fish and barrels containing who knows what. However, the one you were looking for was the a military boat. One that was armed with cannons. You walked to the end of the walkway to find the ship swaying in the calm waters and you looked at Nate, "I thought you said in a month. This was way earlier than expected!"

"Well they said a month! I didn't know a week was a month to them!" Nate responded as he dodged a man carrying a basket of live fish.

You sighed and approached the boat. There were guards waiting as other soldiers walked on board and as you both approached, one of them said, "Stop there. Are you two part of the Velder garrison?"

"Yes," Nate spoke up, "we're both part of the Velder garrison."

"State your names."

"Nathaniel."

"Ina Solomon." you spoke up next.

The guard nodded his head, "Get on board you two. We're still waiting for any stragglers so it might take a while. Both of you should make yourself comfortable until then."

You both responded, "Yes sir."

There was a lot of people on board of the ship, many that wore armor around them even though it was a nice, sunny day. 'They must be hot in those.' You turned to Nate, "It seems like the whole place is taken. Well, at least the top of the ship."

"Yeah," Nate looked around, "let's take a look around to see if we can find anymore room."

You walked behind Nate as he turned his head every way to find an open space but then he accidentally ran into someone, making his drink spill all over on some else's head. Nate stepped back, "Whoa, I'm sorry! I wasn't looking!"

The boy who once held the drink, turned to Nate, "Damn Nate, you were always the clutz. Even through all our hard training to make you not a clutz."

"Jasom! I'm sorry! And I'm sorry down there, sir!"

The boy down there took his hood off and shook his head. He smiled sheepishly, "Oh don't worry about it Nate! It felt nice actually!"

"Oh wow, Kin! You both are here! I guess Ticus wanted you two to learn more huh?"

"Yup," Jasom stretched, "we've been with Ticus for a pretty long time and he taught our last lesson last week. He wants us to move on and learn more methods of thievery. I'm pretty excited actually."

Kin nodded his head in agreement, "All I've been thinking about throughout this whole day was 'Who's going to teach us? Who's going to teach us?'"

Nate laughed, "I was wondering too Kin."

"Who's that behind you though?" Kin motioned his head at you.

Nate turned around, "Oh! Right. Jasom, Kin this is Ina. My friend whom I met when were both being transported to the kingdom. Ina, this is Jasom and Kin. Jasom is the older one and Kin the younger one though they look so much alike. They're also in the same field as me: thievery."

"Oh, um, hello." was all you could say to them.

Jasom smiled, "Hello Miss Ina. I've heard a lot about you. Teaching yourself about your own field. Must've been hard to do it without any help."

"Oh, uh, well it wasn't that hard I mean...I found a way to teach myself."

Kin spoke up, "And you're famous for cleaning up that mess of a cottage. I couldn't even tolerate the stench of it and I lived like two miles away from it."

"Thanks...I guess?" you laughed lightly.

Jasom sat back down, "Sit with us if you want. We came here early though I think it was a bad idea because of this really long wait."

"Hey," Kin said, "we missed last time bro. I don't want to miss this one either."

Jasom sighed, "Whatever. Wake me up when we get there." And he fell fast asleep.

Nate sat in a space next to Jasom and Kin and you sat across Nate. It was a tight space but you made do and leaned forward a bit. Kin yawned, "I think I'll be taking a nap also. I mean, we did wake up at four a.m. just to be here on time."

"Rest well." you said politely.

He smiled and leaned back to fall asleep. Nate smirked, "You like them so far?"

You shrugged, "They're pretty nice."

Nate sighed, "Yeah, they're good guys. Not too rude but not too polite. It's funny how they can share the same personalities even though they're not twins."

"They're not twins?" you said incredibly, "I thought they were..."

Nate laughed, "Yeah, they're not twins. They were born on the same day just on different years. Awesome right?"

You nodded your head, "Pretty cool yeah."

Silence came between you and Nate. The other people around you were all bustling about until you heard a guard shout, "All a board! Raise the anchor!"

There was small shudder and then you heard gears working in the ship that was lifting the anchor up on the side of the ship. Nate looked around and smiled at you. You laughed nervously, not knowing why you jumped a little. You looked back at Velder. 'We're moving on. To Hamel of all places! I'll get to see Chung again...' His name stayed on your mind throughout the rest of the journey.

**-223-**

You stared at the boys who were sprawled out on their backs, snoring loudly. You giggled at them. 'They're so cute.' You sighed and rested your head on your lap. 'I wonder if Chung is already an expert guardian or something right now. Things would've probably changed. I wonder if...he'll even recognize me.' You looked on at Nate who had his hood on and over his eyes so that the sun wouldn't pierce through to wake him up. You smiled, 'At least I still have Nate.' The sea breeze woke you up a little and cooled down your face. 'We're near, I just know it!' Then a soldier came out from the hull, "Wake up everyone, we're arriving at Hamel!"

'Hamel!' You stood and woke up the boys, "Nate, Jasom, Kin wake up you guys! We're here, we're here!"

"Hmmmm where..?" Jasom said sleepily and rubbed his back, "Ugh, I hate how I sleep sometimes."

Kin stretched, "We're at Hamel? Haha great."

Nate only yawned as his hood was still over his eyes, "Five more minutes."

Those words brought back memories. You shook your head and walked next to Nate, "Wake up sleepy head! Get up!"

"Nyeh, five more minutes woman."

You chuckled and kicked him lightly, "Come on you fat piece of lard, get up. And don't call me woman."

Nate lifted his hood up and stuck his tongue out, "I'll wake up when we land, kay?"

"Ugh fine."

"Yayyyyyy."

Jasom laughed, "Man Nate, you are one lazy bastard. And a rude one too."

Nate shrugged, "Meh, call me whatever."

You rolled your eyes and looked as the city of Hamel was coming up. You could see the beautiful white city gleaming in it's glory and power. Water was everywhere in the palace and kingdom which was a nice touch. You got excited as the boat came into the pier to find the landing spot. Once it was settled, a guard yelled, "Alrighty everyone, single file line! Don't make me poke you!"

You nudged Nate again, "Come on you lazy bastard, get up! Or else I'll leave you behind haha."

Nate slowly got up and sighed, "Good evening Ina. And I will, I will just let me gather myself up before we walk."

He then got up and the four of you walked off the boat. You looked at Hamel with happiness that sparkled in your eyes. 'It looks the same as ever! White with majestic water pouring everywhere unto beautiful architecture! I missed you Hamel!' You turned to them excitedly, "I'm so excited to be here, oh my god!"

The boys laughed as Nate spoke, "You used to live here?"

You stopped for a moment, wondering how you should put it. 'Don't blow your cover again Ina.' "Well...ummm..I uh..."

Jasom and Kin looked confused by your hesitations but Nate put a hand, "Don't tell me if you don't want to Ina. I understand."

'Oh good,' you sighed in relief, 'For a moment there, I thought I had to explain.' You smiled and walked on to find the man named Penensio. The boys walked behind you, talking about the things they talked about. Penensio came into view as he was talking to other Red Knights and soldiers who just transported here. You walked up to him, "Sir Penensio?"

He looked at you and said in an authoritative tone, "State your name, your field, and your weapons."

You stood straighter, "Ina Solomon. I am training in melee combat and my weapons are my gauntlets."

Penensio nodded at the rest of the boys. Nate cleared his throat, "Nathaniel. I train in thievery and my weapons are...a scythe and hunting daggers."

Jasom stepped forward, "I am Jasom. I, too, am training in thievery and my weapon is an extending blade along with a rapier."

Lastly, Kin walked up nervously, "I am Kin. I am also training in the thievery field and I use guns along with a sword."

Penensio nodded, "Alrighty. I want you four to follow me to your fields."

You walked right behind him as Penensio took you to wherever he wanted to take you. As you walked, you thought you saw a familiar face. Two familiar faces actually, stand right next to each other and talking. One of them was a grinning brown hair boy wearing the Red Knight outfit and the other boy was a small blonde boy with full body armor that was blue and white. Everything slowed around you as you focused on those two boys only. 'Who...who are they..? No...they can't be...' It was the blonde boy who spotted you first. You made contact with his beautiful blue eyes while his widened. You heard him yell, "Ina!"

Next the brown haired boy turned to spot you and his soft, innocent eyes spotted yours. He paused for a heart beat then started running to you. Chung started running after Jonah as Jonah pushed and shoved people out of the way but politely saying "excuse me" and "pardon me". Once Jonah got to you, he hugged you and started crying, "Noona..."

You smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry Jonah, I'm here. And I'll always be from now on."

He looked up with tears falling from his face, "I missed you so much onee-chan. Did...did the army recruit you too..?"

Looking at your little brother's face and seeing how much of a man they turned him into made you smile, "They did but I had to go Jonah. Please understand."

He hugged you again, "Of course noona! I'm just happy you're with me again.."

You patted your little brother's head and looked up at Chung. He hasn't really grown but within his eyes you could see that he has matured greatly. You smiled happily, "We meet again Seiker."

Chung laughed, "Nice too see you too Ina. Who are these boys that are with you?"

"Oh, the one wearing a cape is Nathaniel, Nate to make it shorter, the boy to his left, with straight hair, is Jasom and on his right, the one with straight but shorter hair, is Kin."

Chung waved, "Nice to meet you all."

Jasom and Kin said in unison, "Nice to meet yah."

Nate stared for a moment before he vigorously shook his head, "Uh, nice to meet you too."

Penensio cleared his throat, "Shall we continue?"

Your face started to get warm from the embarrassment, "Oops..sorry to keep you waiting Sir Penensio.."

Jonah looked down, "I'm sorry General. That was something out of turn from me."

"It's alright Jonah. Just don't do it again."

He nodded his head and Chung smiled, "Well Ina, I'll be seeing you. My father will meet you sometime today. And guess what? I'll be with him!"

"Awesome!" you said enthusiastically, "Man...how long has it been? Oh well, I got to get going. Take care Seiker! It was nice to finally see you again."

He waved, "You too Solomon!"

You grinned and turned to follow Penensio again. 'Chung and Jonah are friends now huh? I guess they must've met somehow. But nothings matter right now. I'm just so happy to see them again!' And for some reason, you had a skip in your walk.

* * *

**Chapter End**

**Me: SO NOW YOU KNOW. What class Ina will be AND another possible OC. :3**

**Everyone: ANOTHER OC?**

**Me: Yesh :D**

**Ina and Nate: You made too many already Shadow...**

**Me: What? D: Two isn't a lot! ...Is it?**

**Everyone: *looks away* _ _**

**Me: *siiigh* Well, tell me what you liked, didn't like, what was good, what was bad, and all at gooooooooood stuffs. Coming up next: And darkness spread throughout the land...**


	6. And Darkness Spread Throughout the Land

**Me: OMG HAI GUYS!**

**Everyone: SHADOW! *tackle hugs***

**Me: Ack! D: Sorry I've been gone long Dx I was so busy *cough*withElsword*cough* but I finally updated ^^**

**Eve: Data says you have updated at around 1:30 AT NIGHT.**

**Me: :I**

**Elsword: -_-**

**Me: :P Just enjoy you guys ^^ I missed you all so much!**

**-Chapter Start-**

* * *

**Chapter 6: And Darkness Spread throughout the Land**

**-223-NatePOV-223-**

'So that was the noble Prince Seiker? He's...really short but...I guess that's okay. As long as she's happy, then that's okay. I want what's best for her.' you thought as you weave your way around the crowd. You kept looking at how this place was basically built on top of a river and from the looks of it, these buildings have something to do with a priestess. Her face was everywhere in this city. 'I wonder why they based themselves off of water?' you thought again. You were preoccupied with your thoughts until your group came to a stop and there you saw. Hamel's training ground. It was almost a quarter size of Hamel itself but every building was made of the same marble that makes up Hamel. And there was a section for every class that were completely obvious so that you won't get lost within. You saw on one corner where archers were training and they were synchronized from pulling the arrow out to firing it. On another, there were swordsmen fighting with wooden figure and some who were actually fighting each other though none has gotten fatally wounded, they were using practice swords.

You glanced at Ina who was looking in wonder and...her eyes were glazed. As if she were remembering good times. 'She must be,' you thought, 'she did say she was from Hamel...I think.' Ina shook her head slowly and smiled, "We're going to have such a good time."

Kin smiled, "You seem to have a past here. You know this place very well?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well," Jasom stepped in, "we want to know if there's any good food around here that we could eat because you see, we're both hungry."

You laughed, "That's right! We came from a long journey and we all should be hungry no?"

Kin nodded his head, "It was a pretty long journey. I'm soo hungry. Is there an alchemist here that we can go to?"

"Yeah," Ina said laughing, "his name's Denka. I know he may not seem, act, or sound like an alchemist but he's a really good one. And a pretty good cook too."

Jasom grinned, "To Denka we go!"

"Wait," you said, "what about our rooms? We should be able to know where we are before we go to eat wherever the heck Denka is at."

Ina nodded, "That's right you two! How could guys forget so easily?"

Jasom pouted, "We're hungry."

You patted Jasom's back, "Don't worry man it's okay. Let's find out rooms first and then go and have a nice dinner."

"Okaaay."

The four of you went to find out your rooms. Of course Jasom and Kin were paired into one room and you were left with no one. You were fine sleeping by yourself but then Jonah came out of his room and smiled at you, "Hi there!"

You were surprised but you replied, "Oh, um, hello."

"You're my sister's friend right?"

"Uh, I guess you can say that."

"Good! Cause I'm willing to share a room with you! I've been alone all these years but it'll be nice to have a roommate with me. Especially if it's someone who's my sister's friend."

"Oh, wow! Um, thank you so much." 'Why am I so nervous around him..?'

He smiled at you again, "Go ahead and put your stuff in. I'll be going with you and your friends along with sis to get something to eat. Chung might come but he's not too sure."

'Chung...that's the noble's first name? How simple. Yet..it suits him. What am I thinking?! I should be glad for her!' You nodded your head and said, "Alright then. Where could I put my stuff?"

Jonah gestured at a clean bed that was adjacent to his bed probably and both were neatly made and flattened to perfection. He smiled, "The one without the blanket is yours. And don't worry, I'll get you one before curfew!"

You were taken aback. This young boy is treating you like you're a guest. 'But I guess that's what I get for only being her friend.' You smiled back at him, "Thanks Jonah. I can see why your sister loves very much."

He laughed as you put your stuff down and observed the room around you. There was nightstands at both of the beds and they were both at the ends of the beds. There was a studying desk near Jonah's bed and a empty space that you guessed where your desk will be at. 'I have to study? Study about what? Oh dear...' You put your bags at the edge of the bed and walked out of the room with you cape still on. Jonah noticed it before closing the door and asked, "You want to leave your cape inside? It gets pretty hot in the cafe area."

You nodded your head, "No thank you, I would prefer to wear this anywhere and everywhere I go."

Jonah shrugged and closed the door behind him. He walked ahead saying, "This is the West Hall or the boys dormitory. East Hall is of course where the girls are. We're meeting Ina at the main hall which leads to the field. From there, we'll go to the huge building that's right in the middle of the field which is the cafe. Got all that?"

You nodded your head absentmindedly. He smiled, "Great cause we need to go fast if we want some good seats!" And he started to run down the hall like the rest of the boys. 'Wait, what?' But there was no time to think, you had to catch up to Jonah. And so you quickly weave your way to catch up to Jonah and asked him, "Why do we have to hurry? It's only seats..."

"The really good seats are in the way back of the cafe. Even Ina remembers all that," Jonah said while dodging around a traffic jam and tapping Jasom on the shoulder, "Get Kin and follow us!"

He nodded and grabbed his brother's collar to follow in pursuit. The four of us were making our way into a thicker crowd where girls and boys were all mixed in together. And Ina was standing at the base of a statue of the priestess and scanning the area. She found my eyes first and smiled while coming towards us. Jonah grinned, "Noona! Let's go get the best seats!"

Ina laughed softly, "Of course bro, we'll go and get the best seats. Where's Jasom and Kin?"

As in cue, they stumbled out of a crowd, panting and breathing heavily, "Good god, is there really that many people who want good seats?"

Ina and Jonah nodded at the same time. She patted Jonah's head, "The best seats are reserved for the ones who are the fastest. Everything is a test even picking out which food you'll eat to which class is yours. I haven't been here for a pretty long time but I remember quite a bit about it."

"But hey!" she said, snapping you out of a daydream, "We must hurry to get the seats no?"

We all nodded and headed for the cafeteria and there was already a huge line for it, however, it was going pretty fast at the same time. You sighed, "Are we too late?"

Ina nudged your ribs which hurt. A lot. She giggled, "Come on silly, it's not too late. Jonah already has some seats reserved for us! So let's get our lunch quick."

You smirked and flicked at her forehead. She cried out from it and rubbed the wound saying, "What'd you do that for?!"

You pinched her cheek slightly and said, "For the nudge my dear."

She let out a humph and turned around, her hair whipping against her cheeks. You laughed softly and thought, 'I bet Chung loves her too no?'

**-223-**

After everyone was done with their lunches, Jonah was told to help the boys with their classrooms and Ina knew her way around. As you walked away, you stared back one more time to see that Ina was already gone from sight. You sighed and caught up with the rest of them. Jonah was explaining them about their class, "We really don't have a field for thievery because there might be people who will use it for evil but we always keep those kinds of people in check. So if you guys are gonna be up to no good, then you can kiss your education here good bye as they escort you to jail. But you guys won't do that stuff right?"

Jasom smiled, "Of course. We worked too hard to get here."

"Yes, of course," Kin said right after his brother, "we'll be good students here like we were at Velder."

You stood there with your eyes fixed at the ground. 'What is this feeling that has overcame me ever since we met? I've never felt like this when I was a spirit but now...it must be these human emotions..it has to be. I was emotionless before so it must be...' You were too focused within your thoughts that you forgot there were people around you. Watching you standing in the middle of the hall like you're very much interested at the floor. You blinked once and looked up. Kin, Jasom, and Jonah were looking at you weirdly but you blushed slightly, shook your head, and pushed them forward, "I'm fine, let's go to class now yeah?"

"Is something the matter Nate? You're awfully occupied nowadays." asked Jasom worryingly.

"It's nothing, trust me Jasom! I think I'm not getting much sleep at night haha." you said sheepishly.

"What do you do at night then?"

"I...meditate! I do that every night to keep my mind clear for the next day. It has to be sharp if I want to be a quick thinker!"

"Really?" He said skeptically but then said, "Does that really work?"

"Eh?" you feel a sweatdrop on your forehead in confusion.

"Meditating. Does it really make your mind sharper so that you're more of a quick thinker?"

"Uhhh," you said dumbly, "Well...I do think much more quicker whenever I meditate and I feel more awake in the morning too if I meditate in the morning."

"Wow! I've got to try that sometime! I need to out-think Kin here you know? He's a really quick thinker, much more faster than me."

Kin laughed, "It's actually true! We possess the potential that we don't want while the other has it. For example, Jasom wants my quick thinking skills while I want his speed skills. He wants my personality, I want his looks."

"Oh uhm, wow! That's really cool and odd at that same time."

Then the three of you laughed as if you were good friends hanging out. 'I feel better around them...what is this feeling called? Happiness? Comfort? Well whatever it is, I never want this feeling to fade...ever.' you thought happily as you still made your way to your class.

**-223-InaPOV-223-**

You were so glad to be able to meet your brother and Chung again. 'I wonder if I'll meet Chung anytime soon? I have so much to talk about...' You looked around the halls and through windows that showed the classes that were already being held. 'This school changed while I was gone...there wasn't this many people in the army. I wonder why Hamel is recruiting like Velder?' As you looked, you felt the presence of your old friend. You looked left and saw the young boy smiling happily. You smiled back, "Chung. I'm so glad to see you."

He laughed, "I feel the same too. How have you been?"

"I've been fine, training my heart out to become what this book wants me to be." and you took a small book out that read The Maiden Code. Chung took a look and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. And there was no lock on it. He kept trying while saying, "Is this book enchanted? Why can't I open this?"

"Don't think that you're weak silly," you giggled, "Yes the book is enchanted. Only the one chosen for the destiny that I chose can see what's inside the book."

"Ah, I see. How'd you find this? I heard about the cabin that you were in and well...it didn't sound like you have fun cleaning it up."

You laughed and lightly punched him in the arm, "Of course I didn't enjoy it but it was worth it. If I didn't find the book, I wouldn't have a goal to work to. What do you have in mind Chung?"

"You wanna see?" he said excitingly.

"Sure!"

And so you went out into the field with Chung and he stopped, "Wait here, it's inside my shed. And close your eyes! Don't peek, okay?"

"Awww you sound like an excited kid Chung. Okay then, eyes are closed." you said as you put your hands over your eyes.

You could hear him inside the shed as he moved stuff around and then you heard, "Okay open them!"

The next thing you knew you were face-to-face with a gigantic ivory cannon that looked way too big even for you. You gaped at how he's easily hold the cannon and stammered, "W-w-what?! H-how can y-you...? I don't understand!"

Chung put the cannon down and said smiling, "I've been training, what did you expect?"

You tapped your finger against your cheek and said carefully, "Well if I knew you were carrying around a gigantic cannon like that then I would think that maybe you would have a little more...how do you say? Ehm...muscles?"

He thought about it for a moment and started laughing, "I don't need muscles to carry around a cannon like this. This fits everything about me! It's everything I could ever ask for!"

"But I thought you would have more muscles?" you said as you poked at Chung's arm.

"Well I don't," he said sticking his tongue out at you, "Wanna see how I fight?"

"I'm more than happy to Prince Seiker!"

"Oh haha, just call me Chung."

**-223-**

It was amazing. His speed with such a cannon made him seem like he's already mastered awesome skills. He was swinging the cannon around and you can see that he was having no trouble with it's weight. He hit a few field enemies, jumped back and yelled, "Brutal Swing!"

He lunged forward with his shoulder and hit it with a powerful swing that knocked it back. You couldn't help but smile at how much he learned. And then he smashed one butt of the cannon, flipped around in a 360 motion to reload, and charged forward. As he charged forward he yelled out, "Detonation!"

He used his whole clip but the last blast was much more powerful than the first five. 'Or was it six? I dunno.' He walked back to you and smiled, "You liked it?"

"The cannoner I say. You're very adept at that. When did you start?"

"Uhm," Chung rubbed the back of his head and chuckled softly, "Around the time when one of the Royals was kidnapped..."

Your smile faded and you touched his shoulder, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked!"

He smiled his cute, adorable smile, "It's fine Ina. I'm alright. May I see your skills?"

"Oh yeah, sure!"

And you began your combat by dashing forward and did a swift uppercut into the "jaw" of the field enemy. You turned around, elbowed him with the same arm, and hit the "face" with the back of your hand. After that, you made a graceful transition by ducking under the arm, grabbed the field enemy around the waist and did a suplex. It smashed the head into pieces which you didn't intend. "Ack! I'm sorry! I broke the dummy..."

Chung laughed and went to get a broom. When he came back he said, "It's alright silly. Field enemies break all the time. This isn't the first. I thought you knew that."

"Well," you said as you sat down cross legged, "I haven't been here for some time. I forgot about that."

He chuckled again, "Well, how do you like Hamel now? It looks better than ever and it looks much more prepared than ever. Like we can see what's coming."

"Do you know what's coming?"

He was silent but shrugged, "The Water Priestess did say something but I never got the full story. Something that has to do with darkness."

'Darkness?!' As if in que, you heard thunder in the distance. You turned towards the mountains and saw storm clouds gathering. They looked much more menacing than the usual clouds. You turned towards Chung and you could see that he was skeptical. He narrowed his eyes, "It could be a storm but they're black clouds. That's not normal... Let's go to my father. He's with the Priestess right now, come."

You ran behind Chung and made your way to the Halls of Water. You entered the Temple and walked through bizarre architecture. Bizarre but beautiful. We kept walking to through tall elongated hall until we came out into something like Hamel's courtyard. It was about a few shades darker than the usual white but it didn't worry you. Something more important is at hand. We approached many elevators until we reached a fountain where Chung's father, Helaputt, and the Water Priestess was. They were talking with each other and Helapput saw his son. He gave him a warm smile that hid his weariness, "Hello son. What are you doing here?"

"Father," He said as he bowed, "There are unusual storm clouds heading towards our city. Father I am fearing the worst..."

Helaputt put his hands on his son's shoulders and whispered, "Let's go check it out yeah?"

You stared at Chung with his father and thought, 'I had a father like him. Too bad I don't know when I'll able to meet him...' You saw he has the same heavy ivory armor like Chung but it was set in a darker tone, saying that he has the higher authority. He smiled at you, "My son talked fondly of you. Ina isn't it?"

You twitched and bowed as respectfully as you could, "Y-y-yes, I am Ina sir. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"No need for formalities. Let's see what the problem is yes?"

He turned to the Water Priestess and said, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

She nodded her beautiful head and stood there at the base of the waterfall, watching you mostly. As you entered the elevator and looked back at her, she was gone from the base. 'What the? She was there a moment ago...' Chung tugged at your sleeve, "Hurry please."

You nodded and left the Halls to the outside. Though there was supposed to be blue skies but you saw black clouds. You nervously turned to Chung who looked calm but you could tell he was afraid of what will happen next too. Helaputt observed the skies and dread filled his voice, "She was right. Chung."

"Yes father?"

"Rally up the soldiers. And bring Jonah and anyone else with you that can help. We might face some trouble ahead."

Chung nodded and motioned for you to follow. You ran behind him and said, "What's hapening Chung? Are we going to war?"

"Something like that.." he muttered.

You were now very afraid. 'The coming darkness... I can see why they're preparing now. The coming darkness...' Chung led you to where all the soldiers are staying and said, "You take the girl's side and I'll take the boys side. Tell them to get ready for battle."

And so you did. You slammed open all doors and yelled for them to get ready for battle. You saw some girls that were already fully dressed and ready to go. As soon as you thought almost all of them were out, you got ready by tightening the grips of your gauntlets and standing in the middle of the lobby. Chung approached you along with Jonah, Jasom, Kin, and Nate. You hugged each of them and said, "Chung I have a feeling I know what's going on.."

"Wait, what is going on? We wake up at like two in the morning and-" started Jasom but he was interrupted by a loud boom that came from outside. You ran out to find a huge crater with a small ball of darkness in the middle. And you thought it was you but you heard a small evil laughter echoed in your ears. 'Who..?' There was a loud crack and lightning struck the small ball and it opened to have a demon army hidden within. 'Demons?! What?!' You could tell that everyone around you was freaking out but they steeled their nerves and awaited Chung's orders. Chung sighed, "Attack!"

Everyone filed towards the army and killed as many demons as they could. Kin and Jasom were in synchronized grace as they were surrounded by demons. A glitter shielder charged at them but they both dodged out of the way and Kin stabbed the Glitter on his back and withdrew his sword covered in purple blood. "Ew." he simply said. Nate was slashing at the Glitters with relentless force. "Bloody Reaper!" "Scythe Storm!" "Armadillo Spin!" Skill after skill he was yelling but it seemed to not make a dent. Jonah was using his skills when he finds he needs it. 'He's much more adept with his sword. I'm happy for him.' You punched and kicked at Glitters whenever they got too close and Chung blew each and everyone of them away with his cannon but you saw that he wasn't that used to the Destroyer. Not for long battles like this. However, the demons were clearing out and some ran away into the forest. All the soldiers were tired and Chung said, "Rest for now everyone. But keep your guard up."

Helaputt came into the scene and groaned, "The demons already left. Ah son, you lead them well?"

"I did father. The way you wanted me too."

He patted his shoulders, "Good, good."

Everyone rested for a long while and you stared at the black sky. 'What will happen next? Who cause this? What will happen to me and my friends?' Those questions filled your mind until it felt like they were going to blow up. You sighed and looked at Nate and Chung. Nate was swinging his scythe like a pendulum and was looking at the black sky. Chung was dozing off between sleep and staying awake. You twiddled your thumbs and said, "Do you guys think anything worse will happen?"

"Don't jinx it." Jasom said as he was eating an apple.

You sighed, "I'm just worried is all..."

Chung patted your hand and smiled, "Don't worry Ina. I have a feeling we just faced the worst."

But boy was he wrong.

* * *

**-Chapter End-**

**Me: Whoooooooo I finished a chapter! *fist pumps***

**The girls: -_-**

**The guys: Whoooooooooooooo yeah! *fist pumps with me***

**Me: Well, sorry for the slow upload *bows in apology* Hope you'll understand.**

**In the next chapter: Demon Rising**


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